Pay us in cash, say cotton growers
Chipo Katsidzira Manicaland Correspondent
Cotton farmers in Manicaland have called on buyers to pay them in cash to cushion them from high operating costs.
Cotton harvesting is currently 80 percent complete, although some farmers are facing challenges in selling their products.
Manicaland Agritex livestock and crop production officer Mr Cephas Mlambo said cotton farmers had complained that use of mobile money payment platforms was reducing their profits as they have to pay more for goods and services if they did not have cash.
“While it is easy for a person in the urban areas to transact using EcoCash, the system can become very complex for people in communal areas and some farmers in those areas do not understand how the system operates,” he said.
“Deceitful business people end up ripping off farmers by charging extra money for transacting using EcoCash,” Mr Mlambo said.
He said cotton was a vital crop in terms of value addition, employment creation and import substitution.