Shortages of cotton packaging bags trouble farmers

Sydney Mubaiwa in Zaka

There is a shortage of cotton packaging bags here, resulting in  some smallholder farmers resorting to storing their crop in kitchen huts.

There are also growing fears that failure to properly package the white gold will affect crop  quality and prices on the market.

In separate interviews, the farmers said though they were happy with prices offered by the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco), the shortage of packaging bales was giving them sleepless nights.

“We are happy with the money being offered by the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe per killogramme, but the shortage of packaging material is a cause for concern,’’ said Mr Amos Tsengai from Manyiri area.

Another farmer, Mr Smart Dhenhera from Benzi, said their future was uncertain.

“We have high cotton yields, but unfortunately storage bags are a problem,” he said. “Imagine the bulk of the crop is stored in kitchens.

What it means is that if there is a fire in the kitchen, the chances of the cotton getting burnt is high.

“We spent thousands of dollars to grow and harvest the crop under the Presidential Input Support Scheme and all this will go down the drain if the issue of packaging material is not dealt with quickly.”

Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) chairman for Zaka chapter Mr Stephen Mukachana said the problem of packing bales was a cause for concern.

He said Government had done its part by supporting 97 percent of the white gold farmers with implements in the last cropping season.

Mr Mukachana said cotton buyers were being overwhelmed by the high yields.

“If the situation continues as it is, the cotton will lose its lint value and will be prone to colour threatening pests and thus devaluing its grade,” he said.

“To further worsen the situation, the whole harvest can be lost due to fire. Moreover, smoke from the kitchens is compromising the white colour.”

It is estimated that about 99 percent of the cotton crop planted here was funded through the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme, a development meant to boost cotton production in the                                country.