Elita Chikwati Agriculture Reporter
Cotton farmers will soon get price adjustments on the crop they sold to merchants following the completion of grading at the ginneries. Merchants had paid farmers an interim of $0,30 per kilogramme and are now expected to pay more.
Cotton Ginners Association chairperson Mr Godfrey Buka confirmed that ginners were winding up grading of the cotton and would start paying adjustments by October 30.
“Adjustments would be paid according to individual companies. There will not be a uniform price for grades but an individual company will pay according to its market and capacity.
“The Competition and Tariff Act does not allow companies to pay a uniform price. This is where the issue of competition comes into play,” he said.
The Joint Presidency Council spokesman, Mr Wonder Chabikwa, yesterday said grading should be done in the presence of farmers’ representatives for transparency.
“They cannot do it alone. Farmers’ representatives should be present during grading to ensure fairness. We have also set up a technical committee to negotiate with the buyers on prices,” he said.
Cotton production has been falling for the past years due to low prices offered by buyers.
This season about 100 000 tonnes of cotton are expected, down from the 136 000 tonnes produced in 2014.
The decline in cotton production has forced Government to intervene with President Mugabe encouraging farmers to continue producing the crop. This season cotton growers will benefit from the Presidential Inputs Scheme with each household getting inputs for a quarter of a hectare.
The move was taken to boost cotton production as it is a critical crop, especially in areas where there are no other suitable crops.
Under the scheme each household would receive a 5 kilogramme pack of seed, 50kg bag of Compound L or Compound D and a 25 kg bag of top dressing fertilizer.
They will also receive 0,75 kg and 0,75 litres of chemicals.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister, Dr Joseph Made said cotton production had also been affected by the practice of leaving cotton stalks in the field.
“Farmers should clear crop residues to reduce the carryover of pests and diseases from one season to another. We have instructed Agritex officers to ensure the beneficiaries have cleared crop residues to promote good husbandry practices,” he said.