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Mashonland West Correspondent
Authorities in Mashonaland West Province are targeting to contract at least 25 000 cotton farmers under the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme, Minister of State Mary Mliswa has said. The scheme, which is fully funded by Government and its partners, is expected to improve cotton production that had fallen substantially over the years due to low world market prices.

Farmers in the province had also turned to tobacco farming, which was offering more lucrative returns. Speaking in Mhangura recently, Minister Mliswa urged farmers to take up the Government initiative as all resources were provided for free.

“This is an opportunity for farmers to empower themselves economically as all the resources are provided for free compared to other schemes,” she said.

She said the beneficiaries had to only sell their produce to Government through the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe after harvesting. Minister Mliswa called on churches and schools to consider taking up the initiative as a way of developing their infrastructure and raising money for other essentials.

“Organisations like churches and schools should be self-sustaining and not rely on handouts, hence the need to venture into such initiatives,” she said.

In a separate interview, Cotton Producers’ and Marketers’ Association president Mr Stewart Mubonderi said farmers should take such Government initiatives seriously. “I urge farmers to be part of this scheme,” he said.

“Many livelihoods have been improved through such Government initiatives.”

The 2017-2018 farming season saw Government receiving more than 100 000 tonnes of cotton, indicating a sharp increase from the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 farming season.

Government has already started distributing cotton inputs to all the areas where cotton farming is practised in Mashonaland West, with farmers expressing optimism for this year.