Business Reporter
ALL hope is not lost for cotton farmers, despite the late onset of rains this season.
There were concerns that yields might be significantly affected as a result of late rains, but farmers have been urged to plant until end of this month instead of the usual December 15 deadline.
Farmers have also been advised to plant early maturity varieties. According to the Meteorological Services Department, most parts of the country may start receiving the rains next week.
An official with the Zimbabwe Farmers Union said the season had shifted and as a result, the deadline for growing cotton had also been moved to end of December.
“So cotton farmers can still plant until the end of December”, said the official. “Farmers must understand that the seasons have shifted and they must also change crop varieties and move to early maturity in line with climate change.”
The Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union said the deadline for growing cotton was established during the time when the country had normal rainfall patterns.
“The change in climate requires cotton farmers to move with the trend,” said the ZCFU.
“Farmers must move with climate change and understand that rainfall patterns have changed.”
At its peak, cotton production was the major source of income and livelihood for rural communities around the Gokwe, Sanyati, Rushinga and Checheche. It also accounted for close to a fifth of agricultural exports.
However, several challenges facing the sector, particularly funding, resulted in output declining from peak levels of 353 000 tonnes to 102 000 tonnes during the previous marketing season. Other factors undermining cotton production included decline in international cotton prices, also against the background of competition from such substitutes as synthetic fibres.
The cotton output decline is notwithstanding the installed ginnery capacity of 427 000 tonnes of seed cotton. As such, Government has come up with a programme that will see farmers receiving free inputs for the next three seasons to boost production.
This year, about one million cotton growers are set to benefit from the scheme, with each farmer receiving an input package covering a quarter of a hectare of cotton.