Ndakaziva Majaka • 16 November 2015 12:13PM • 2 comments
HARARE - Cotton farmers will on November 16 start getting price adjustments on the crop they sold to merchants following the completion of grading at the ginneries, the Cotton Ginners Association of Zimbabwe (CGAZ) said.
In a notice posted yesterday, the association said the grading process was almost complete after merchants had paid farmers an interim of $0,30 per kilogramme, but are now expected to pay more.
The initial $0,30 per kilogramme payment by ginners was due to unavailability of grading technology at most buying points, this amount is equivalent to grade D of seed cotton produced in 2014/15 farming season. Other grades are A, B and C.
“The Cotton Ginners Association would like to advise all cotton farmers that the grading process is now almost complete and ginners will commence payment of the final grade-wise price differentials as from Monday, November 16, 2015,” CGAZ said.
According to the notice, individual ginners will be present at the Agricultural Marketing Authority authorised common distribution points and will also be registering farmers, contracting and issuing first tranche inputs to eligible cotton growers.
This comes as CGAZ chairperson Godfrey Buka recently confirmed ginners were winding up grading of the cotton and would start paying adjustments by October 30.
Zimbabwe produced 112 554 metric tonnes of lint (processed cotton) in 2014, majority of which is exported to countries such as China and India due to lack of yarning technology in Zimbabwe and most southern African countries.
The exportation of lint has resulted in reduced benefits for growers across the region and an incomplete cotton value chain.
This has led to reduced production of the white gold as some growers have given up on the crop opting for other cash crops such as tobacco, maize, sorghum and millet where possible.
Growers feel cheated by contractors whom they often accuse of enriching themselves at their expense.
In the 2015 cotton marketing season, 88 000 metric tonnes of seed cotton have so far been collected from farmers from an expected crop of about 95 000 metric tonnes. The crop size last season was
136 000 metric tonnes.
Apart from inadequate yarning capacity in the region, decline in the production of the white gold can also be attributed to extreme weather, poor distribution of rain and a decline in cotton price on the international market due to stiff competition from alternatives such as synthetic fibre.
Cotton contributed sustainably to rural incomes, rural developments, employment and export earnings. It was the mainstay of rural communities, resulting in the development of areas like Gokwe, Sanyati, Rushinga, Checheche, Muzarabani, Matepatepa in Bindura and Muzarabani.
The sector was a major source of livelihood for over one million people, including farmers, farm workers and the textile industry as it once contributed about 19 percent of the country’s agricultural export earnings.