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Edgar Vhera
SOME cotton farmers are in a quandary after the 2023 cotton marketing season officially ended on July 31 when they were still grappling with a shortage of woolpacks that saw them failing to pack their produce for the market.
The farmers have since sent a distress signal to the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) to extend the marketing season to allow them to sell their produce that they are currently stuck with.
Cotton Producers and Marketers Association chairman, Mr Stewart Mubonderi said farmers in some areas still had seed cotton in their homesteads because of the unavailability of woolpacks.
“Some farmers in Mhangura, Kadoma, Buhera, Gutu, Hurungwe, Karoi and Mutoko failed to secure woolpacks in the course of the marketing season. Since Cottco has started ginning, we encourage them to urgently send woolpacks to areas in need so that all the produced seed cotton is accounted for,” he said.
Mr Mubonderi revealed that 67 percent of the farmers who delivered their produce are still to get their payments and challenged Cottco to speed up payments especially after Government’s injection of US$30 million funding recently.
Cottco corporate communications manager Mrs Constance Makoni-Thodhlana said seed cotton deliveries by farmers to the buying points must continue until all the produce in field is mopped up.
“Farmers should contact their agricultural extension officers if they are in need of woolpacks, as we started ginning early, which paves the way for recycling woolpacks. We have also received the last batch of woolpacks that were delayed at the port of entry. We will be distributing them to all areas where farmers need them,” she said.
Mrs Makoni-Thodhlana said Cottco had made progress in farmer payments with 50 percent of them already paid while this week there was going to be more accelerated settlements.
AMA agribusiness manager Mr Jonathan Mukuruba said at the commencement of the marketing season all stakeholders agreed that the marketing season would run for two months and set July 31 as the closing date.
“Not all buying points have closed. Only those in places where farmers no longer have seed cotton are now closed. We have field officers on the ground undertaking assessments on the availability of seed cotton in the fields. Where the entire crop has not yet been harvested, the buying points remain open for about two weeks,” Mr Mukuruba said.
AMA said deliveries to some buying points had ended so it was now costly to keep them open without intakes.
Meanwhile, seed cotton deliveries rose 91 percent to 78 million kilogrammes by July 27 this year against 41 million kg last year.
Statistics released by AMA show that four cotton buying companies purchased 78 328 580 kg of seed cotton worth US$25 891 078 and $20 581 131 343.
The prices ranged from US$0, 34 and US$0, 40 per kg plus the local currency component. The main contractor, Cottco accounted for 76 percent of the purchases.
Current seed cotton sales stand at 51 percent of the anticipated target of 152 472 tonnes from the final crop, livestock and fisheries assessment report (CLAFA 2).
In a related matter, Cottco has revealed in its weekly update ending July 28 that 61 726 tonnes of seed cotton had been purchased since May 22, when the season started.
“US$10, 7 million and $146, 9 million have been paid to farmers to date. This represents 50 percent split between payment and arrears,” the weekly update revealed.
Gokwe depot accounted for 23 percent of seed cotton intake with Sanyati at 17 percent and Chiredzi third at 16 percent.
The weekly update showed that Cottco has commenced delivery of inputs for the 2023/24 cotton season with 510 tonnes of basal fertiliser already delivered to Chiredzi, Gokwe, Kadoma, Chinhoyi, Mutare, Muzarabani and Mt Darwin business units.
Online Reporter