At the Mudzimu Cotton Depot in Hurungwe, most farmers are not selling cotton, hoping that their call for a more sustainable pricing arrangement will be heeded.
Contract cotton farmers face the possibility of having their property attached by contracting companies because of their failure to pay up. Statistical data indicates that contractors funded at least $40 million worth of inputs for cotton, which they are entitled to buy from farmers.
A significant drop in international cotton prices, as well as reduced consumption by large markets like China has significantly driven down the price of the cash crop.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union Cotton Producers Association National Chairman,
Joseph Gondo said farmers were now being forced to find private buyers. The union’s second Vice President, Berean Mukwende, said the situation was negatively affecting farming operations. “We have talked to ginners and they said they haven’t been able to pay because the price of lint tumbled, but farmers are not convinced by this explanation.” Cotton Growers and Marketers Association Chairman, Morris Mukwe, said farmers were pinning their hopes on a meeting scheduled with the Agriculture Marketing Authority.
Meanwhile, cotton farmers in Bindura are becoming more and more disillusioned by the cash crop. In a survey conducted by The Zimbabwean recently, most cotton growers in the district have either abandoned the crop or are intending to do so owing to the decline in producer prices over the years.
Post published in: Agriculture