MEASURES to improve cotton production have been put in place as stakeholders aim to improve the number of growers and yield in the 2016/2017 cropping season.
Production of white gold has over the past seasons lost its lustre.
Frustrated by poor returns, growers had turned to more lucrative crops such as tobacco.
Price disputes became the order of the day during marketing of cotton, with farmers arguing prices offered by ginners were not viable.
Cotton production was proving to be a lucrative business for ginners rather than farmers.
At one time, cotton was the second largest foreign currency earner, after tobacco.
Cotton, which thrives in dryer regions, such as Gokwe, Chiredzi, Chipinge and Masvingo was a key economic activity contributing to development.
An estimated 250 000 smallholder farmers produced 99 percent of the country’s cotton crop mainly through contract farming schemes with cotton ginning companies and at least 25 percent of the country’s rural population derived livelihoods from cotton farming.
The cotton industry had proved to be a significant source of income and employment.
In 2014, the International Cotton Advisory Committee indicated that the country’s small-scale cotton farmers stood at 170 000, down from 200 000 in 2013.
Production levels dwindled.
In 2013, production levels dropped drastically from 353 000 kilogrammes (kg) produced in 2012 to 135 000 kg.
In 2014, 146 million kg was produced and this year levels plummeted to less than 100 000 kg.
This season, around 28 000 kg has since been sold.
Marketing of the crop is still underway.
The Cotton Producers Association attributed low output to loss of confidence in the viability of cotton farming by farmers.
Stakeholders are, however, upbeat tables will turn this season.
Government has stepped up support for cotton producers.
Last season Government availed US$25 million worth of free inputs to farmers.
This season Government seeks to finance production of 350 000 hectares.
To ensure access to adequate seeds, Government has reserved a 25 percent quota of this year’s lint sales for local production.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Minister Dr Joseph Made said the move would avert any shortages and ensure farmers were not found wanting.
“We are on the verge of importing lint and we are saying we cannot allow this beyond the current season,” he said.
“This is why we have put inputs for one full hectare so that we recover the cotton seed.”
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Wonder Chabikwa commended Government for supporting cotton growers.
“The programme to assist cotton producers for three consecutive seasons is commendable and will help promote the uptake of cotton production,” he said.
Commenting on the issue of pricing, Chabikwa said players in the industry had formed a team to negotiate prices on behalf of farmers and ginners.
“Local farmers are affected if international prices are used as farmers in other countries get subsidised inputs which our farmers do not get,” said Chabikwa.
“Our farmers produce a yield less than 1 500 kg and it means they would get low returns.”
Price disputes threaten the quality of the crop, said Chabikwa.
Farmers were withholding their crop, yet they did not have proper storage facilities and this was resulting in the wilting of the crop.
The agreed pricing formula takes into account three variables, namely the growers’ cost of production; the ginners’ cost of production and the international lint price at the time the lint would have been sold. The formula also offers the sharing of sales proceeds from lint and ginned seed.
Unfortunately, because of the small quantity of the crop from Zimbabwe, local production cannot influence world market prices for lint on the international market, which reduces the domestic players to price-takers.
The country produces an average
100 000 tonnes of lint per year out of global production of 28 million tonnes.
The domestic industry consumes less than three percent of the cotton produced locally.
The cotton business has become an important export earner for Zimbabwe even though it is faced with increasing global competition, including the effects of controversial subsidies for cotton farmers in the United States.
Given the depressed prices, survival of the local producer would be dependent on improving yields and quality as a way of enhancing viability.