Harsh penalties for side marketing urged Hon Marapira Davis
Deputy Minister Davis Marapira

Deputy Minister Davis Marapira

Tawanda Mangoma in Chiredzi
Government is considering stern measures against farmers who practice side marketing of cotton, a development that has seen most companies closing after failing to recover their investments.

Addressing farmers during a recent tour of cotton fields in Chiredzi and Checheche, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Responsible for Crops Cde Davis Marapira said farmers should blame themselves for destroying the cotton industry by the promotion of side marketing.

He said farmers contracted by a company, should sell all their cotton to that very company and a breach of that agreement warranted arrest.

“We have observed that most fertilizers which were meant for cotton production were sold to sugar cane farmers in Chiredzi,” said Deputy Minister Marapira.

“Most of the cotton crop was grown without fertilizers, but surprisingly Government through the Presidential Inputs Scheme gave you adequate inputs. Private players like Parrogate contracted some of you, but you decided to sell fertilizer, for a cheap price for that matter.”

Deputy Minister Marapira said he visited the Taraffen Ginnery in Triangle which closed five years ago and the officials blamed side marketing of their contracted crop.

“I visited the Tarrafen Ginnery in Triangle, the ginnery is closed and they said they have a $17 million debt,” he said. “Asking them how they got that debt, they said they financed farmers with inputs, but they would breach the contract by selling the cotton to other players.”

Deputy Minister Marapira said Government would allow ginneries to engage the police to arrest farmers who breached their contracts.

“This year, Government says report farmers who practice side marketing of cotton,” he said. “We don’t want a situation where farmers frighten investors, we want more players coming into the industry so as to give the farmer a wider choice as to which company best suits their interests.”

Asked how they are surviving in the cotton industry where most private player’s have folded their operations, ETG Parrogate southern region director Mr Dakarai Makuyana said their inter-personal relations with farmers had seen them thriving.

“Side marketing affected us also to a larger extend as private players, that is why most of our friends closed down,” he said. “As ETG Parrogate, we learnt that developing a bond with your farmers is the only way we can defeat side marketing and also making sure that adequate extension services are rendered.” Cotton Company of Zimbabwe southern region business manager Ms Marjorie Chaniwa said companies which did not fund the crop should not be issued with licences to purchase cotton as that alone promoted side marketing.

“The issuing of licenses for the purchasing of cotton to companies which did not finance the crop is the first step which promotes side marketing,” she said.

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