Dr Made
Elita Chikwati Agriculture Reporter—
Cotton growers have requested for a 5 percent export incentive as Government moves in to formulate a regulatory framework that will guide cotton marketing and curb side marketing, a senior official has said.Government recently awarded tobacco farmers an export incentive, which rewards the growers for generating foreign currency through exporting goods and services.
The incentive pays the farmer a bonus of up to 5 percent on the foreign currency generated. The incentive is paid in bond notes, which have the same value with the US dollar.
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made yesterday said cotton farmers had appealed to Government for a similar incentive as that given to tobacco farmers.
“As Minister of Agriculture, I support the position because of the importance of cotton in our value chain.
“Cotton is important because of its contributions to the textile industry, edible oil and stockfeeds manufacturing. Cotton is a vital crop in terms of value addition, employment and import substitution. Cotton is an anchor crop just like tobacco, sugar cane and horticultural crops,” he said.
Minister Made assured farmers that the responsible ministries were going to deliberate on their request.
He said the ministry was working on a framework that would bar merchants who do not support farmers fully from buying the crop.
This follows complaints from farmers over merchants who only came to buy the crop but without supplying adequate inputs.
Minister Made said merchants and contractors should give farmers a full package to be allowed to buy the cotton.
“Contractors must also indicate a farm price upfront. Government is doing that through Cottco. We have given farmers a full package comprised of seed, fertiliser both compound and top dressing, chemicals and packaging material,” he said.
“We will not allow buyers to buy a crop they did not support. Each contractor should have a full list of the farmers he would have supported and only those will be allowed to buy cotton from farmers,” he said.
He said the regulations were also binding on farmers who will be allowed to sell cotton only to the company that supported the crop.
Minister Made said urged cotton growers to intensify preparations for planting cotton as they wait for the rains.
“Cotton growers should look at the crop with confidence as Government is increasing its interest in the crop,” he said.