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Lifeline to cotton sector

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AS the curtain comes down on 2017, the 2017/2018 cropping season is in its early stages, with stakeholders optimistic the season will be a success.
Last season was full of mixed fortunes for players in different sub-sectors of the agriculture sector.
Below are some of the highlights of the 2016/2017 cropping season and expectations of the current season.
Tobacco
Tobacco which is the country’s highest foreign currency earner followed by gold has continued to fare well.
During the 2017 marketing season, farmers sold 189 million kilogrammes (kg) of flue cured tobacco, with contract farmers contributing most of the deliveries at 158 million kg, while self financed farmers weighed in with 31 million kg.
According to Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB), there has been an increase in tobacco planted this season, compared to the last season.
At least 42 283 hectares (ha) has been planted countrywide indicating a 0,9 percent increase from the 41 496 ha planted during the same period last year.
Manicaland Province has the largest hectarage of flue-cured tobacco, 12 703 ha.
The bulk of the hectarage 27 885 is under dry land while 14 398 is under irrigation.
Tobacco registrations for the 2017/18 season rose by 37 percent to 100 723 from 73 685 last season.
Grains
Following the successful implementation of the Command Agriculture last season, the Government has set aside US$213,5 million with a target to plant 220 000 ha under maize, with 60 000 under irrigation, while the remainder will be dry farming.
Building on the success and lessons from the first phase of the special maize and wheat programmes, Government has already mobilised the resources for the second phase of the programme to the tune of US$266, 4 million for maize and soyabeans.As at December 1 2017, over 46 404 farmers had been contracted to plant 219 000 ha, with 52 330 ha under irrigation and the remainder under dry land.
Under the Presidential Input Scheme, Government doubled input towards 1,8 million vulnerable households, at a cost of US$153 million.
Nearly US$52,9 million has been set aside to support soyabeans production under the Command Agriculture programme targeting 60 000 ha.
Livestock
Livestock production has remained a key component of the agriculture sector and efforts continue to be made by stakeholders to improve the growth of the sector.
Government is in the process of extending the Command Programme to include livestock and fisheries.
In his 2018 Budget Statement Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said under livestock, the programme would focus on the dairy revitalisation programme, aquaculture and livestock disease control to enhance the quality and size of the national herd, in order to guarantee self sufficiency and secure export markets.
According to the Crop and Livestock Assessment Report issued by the Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development ministry the national herd increased by four percent during the 2016/2017 cattle production season.
The national herd increased from 5,3 million recorded during the same period last year to 5,5 million.
The report indicated that 90 percent of the cattle were owned by small holder farmers with the communal sector owning 68 percent, A1 owning 11 percent and seven percent from resettlement areas.
According to the report Matabeleland North Province recorded the highest increase of 18 percent from 557 652 cattle to 656 898.
Masvingo Province which has the largest herd of over one million increased production by one percent.
Matabeleland South province follows with an increase in production of 11 percent from 615 073 to 685 010.
In Mashonaland East Province production increased from 653 759 to 662 158, while Manicaland Province recorded an increase of 618 120 from 615 190 and Mashonaland Central Province’s herd increased from 506 892 to 534 478.
Midlands Province suffered a decline of five percent from 763 794 to 728 564.
However the poultry sector suffered a major setback in June following an outbreak of the Avian bird flu which resulted in about 7 000 birds killed and over 142 000 birds de-populated as a quarantine measure to avoid further spread of the highly pathogenic outbreak.
Avian flu is a virus which occurs naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species.
Avian flu viruses do not normally infect humans, but sporadic human infections with avian flu viruses have occurred.
The bird flu was first detected at Irvine’s Farm, Harare, one of the country’s largest producers of poultry products.
The farm produces more than 1,5 million chicks per week.
The disease was also detected in some parts of South Africa, Mpumalanga and the Free State.
As a result Government banned imports of poultry products from South Africa.
The outbreak resulted in sharp price increases of poultry products.
To support the revival of the livestock and poultry industries, the 2018 Budget appropriated US$9,4 million towards dipping and vaccination services, movement control and surveillance programmes.
Cotton
During the 2016/2017 cropping season once again Government assisted growers with inputs.
The move has paid off.
Cotton company, Cottco by July reported had received 30 000 kg of cotton which surpassed last year’s output.
The white gold, which according to historical records was the second largest foreign currency earner, after tobacco, had lost its lustre.
Production levels dwindled over the years.
Just when it was making business sense for traditional cotton growers to ditch the production of the white gold, Government has stepped in giving a lifeline to the ‘dying’ sub sector.
This season Government has set aside US$60 million up from US$40 million disbursed last season for the free inputs scheme.
At least 130 000 tonnes of seed cotton is expected to be produced this season.
Efforts are underway to once again agriculture the mainstay of the economy.

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