Most cotton farmers this year lost their property to the cotton companies after they failed to repay loans.
Under the contract farming scheme, the farmers were provided with farming inputs such as fertiliser and cotton seed and were expected to repay after harvesting. However, most of them did not deliver their crop to the ginners in protest of low prices.
This stand- off resulted in cotton companies dragging several farmers to court for failing to pay for the inputs.
The farmers lost valuables that included cattle, goats, household possessions and other equipment. The farmers now want to be self-sufficient.
“This year, I will not be accepting any loans. I sustained huge losses after procuring inputs from a local cotton company. The price the company was offering for my crop was ridiculous. These companies are cheating people,” said a Nkayi cotton farmer, Aaron Ndlovu.
Ndlovu called upon the government to intervene and protect farmers from unscrupulous cotton companies.
A Gokwe cotton farmer, Munashe Nyandoro, said the government, through the Grain Marketing Board, should provide flexible, fair and highly subsidised input loan schemes.
“Most farmers end up opting for contract farming because they are struggling to raise money to buy inputs .In this day and age some farmers are even still adding soil from ant-hills to improve soil texture. Under such circumstances there is a need for the government to assist communal farmers with inputs,” he said.
The deputy minister of Agriculture, Siso Moyo, said the government should come up with an act of parliament to protect farmers from unfair contract farming deals. “Our major challenge with contract farming is that we do not have a legal framework to regulate contract farming. Both parties should emerge a winner in this farming arrangement,” said Moyo in an interview with The Zimbabwean.
The minister said despite the absence of an act of parliament on contract farming, it remained a major trump card for the success of the agricultural sector, especially among peasant farmers.
“Contract farming is the way to go. I want to encourage farmers to consider farming support schemes offered by both the government and the private sector. What is important is to critically analyse the contract agreements before signing,” he said.
Post published in: Agriculture