AS owners of the land we cannot help, but be worried by stories that cotton production is on the decline.
Word is that there might soon be no cotton industry to talk about.
The decline in production levels of the white gold has many unsavoury ramifications.
We are a nation that has thrived on agriculture and the challenges in the sector are keenly felt by many.
It is an open secret that we have remained afloat in difficult times because despite hardships we have never failed to produce from the soil.
We might fail to produce enough to fill the country’s silos, but never for subsistence.
While we are involved in many activities, agriculture remains our mainstay.
No subsector of this all important sector must be allowed to suffer.
Cotton production has built homes, has seen children go to school and in the not too distant past sustained industries.
Thus the decline of cotton production demands that we immediately come up with measures to resuscitate this once vibrant subsector.
Most areas that produce cotton cannot do other crops.
While others might site alternatives these will not be as good as cotton.
The white gold is the best crop for these areas.
Thus a total decline of production of the white gold in these areas is not an option.
We must not allow any subsector of agriculture to suffer.
The bedrock of our economy has always been agriculture.
And in our efforts to resuscitate the economy we must not overlook the agricultural sector.
Abandoning agriculture will be counterproductive.
It will not help us to wake up one day with a vibrant economy that is not fully supported by thriving agriculture.
At its peak agriculture provided 60 percent of industry’s raw materials.
This is what we must aspire for and surpass.
Our economy is on the rebound.
Our industry will again work at full capacity.
When it does let it not be held back by an underperforming agricultural sector.
Let it be fed by all types of agricultural produce.
It will be a shame to start importing raw materials that we can produce.
Already a clothing manufacturer in Bulawayo whose fortunes had waned but is now on the rise cannot find raw materials locally.
The company cannot find all the fabrics it requires in the country and has to depend on imports that will do nothing but increase production costs.
These imports would be done away with if our cotton production was vibrant and we were engaged in value addition.
It is also time that our scientific community come up with technologies that will significantly cut current production costs.
Our agriculture is suffering chiefly because our production costs are high and in the process of recouping costs we are pushing ourselves out of the market.
Our products must be competitive on the market.
We cannot continue to lag behind with regards to production technologies.
Agricultural products that we are importing to make up for the deficits we have are produced through means we refuse to embrace.
We must begin to seriously invest in programmes and technologies that will enable the indigenous farmer in Macheke, Chiweshe, Dotito and Nembudziya to compete with his or her counterparts in Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania.