It has also emerged that some cotton farmers diverted large portions of inputs such as fertilisers to production of food crops such as maize given that the country was coming out of a drought season
Business Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S cotton output will be lower than expected this year due to a number of factors including excessive rains, which have made crop management and pest control a challenge.
The country was expecting a yield of at least 100 000 tonnes of the commodity, but output could be between 70 000 and 75 000 tonnes, industry players have said.
Above normal rains received during 2016/17 season made chemicals less effective, exposing the cotton crop to pests, particularly boll-worms. It has also emerged that some cotton farmers diverted large portions of inputs such as fertilisers to production of food crops such as maize given that the country was coming out of a drought season.
The Cotton Company of Zimbabwe, through the Presidential Input Scheme, invested $42 million into production to support about 300 000 households during the last season.
Cotton buyers from Mozambique also took advantage of prevailing cash shortages in the country by offering cash to growers in areas near the Zimbabwe and Mozambique border such as Mt Darwin, Mushumbi, Mukumbura and Checheche.
This was worsened by the fact that some of the areas are not covered by mobile networks and this created a loophole as local firms were largely paying using mobile platforms.
In the Lowveld, where cotton was planted late, the crop is now under threat from livestock such as cattle and goats because some villagers have stopped tending their animals.
Cottco, the country’s largest cotton company said production would suffer from moisture related downgrades. It also said that the abuse of cotton inputs remained rife as farmers diverted cotton inputs to other or more lucrative crops, such as tobacco.
“We came from a drought year and many farmers – some skeptical about the programme – only took seed so that they can have access to fertilisers, which they used in maize production,” Cottco managing director Mr Pious Manamike said in an interview.
“This will dent production. We also had challenges of excessive rains, which in some areas destroyed the crop and also made pest control difficult,” added Mr Manamike.”
Despite the projected drop in output, Cottco is expected to buy at least 60 000 tonnes, up from 10 000 last season. Some farmers who spoke to The Herald Business last week in Ngundu in Masvingo Province said water logging had affected production.
“Our area received more rains than usually expected and so most fields were destroyed,” said Mr Amonia Ruzawe, who only harvested about 100kg from his 3 hectare field.
Government officials in Chitekete in the Midlands Province said some farmers were initially skeptical about the free input programme and only collected seed to have access to fertilisers.
“We have established that many farmers collected huge quantities of seed but only planted very little so that they can receive fertilisers, which they used in maize production.
“Many people were so skeptical about the free input scheme and did not believe that no deductions would be made after selling their produce,” one Government official said.
“So there was serious diversion of fertilisers with farmers opting to produce maize.”
Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Mr Wonder Chabikwa said in an interview yesterday while there was abuse of inputs, the excessive rains received in most parts of the country were not ideal for cotton.
“Obviously with the rains that we received last year, yield per unit area was significantly affected,” said Mr Chabikwa.
“The rains were too much and this created unfavourable conditions for cotton production.”