AMA introduces biometric system, starts inputs distribution
Edgar Vhera
Agriculture Specialist Writer
IN line with Government’s push to modernise agricultural production processes, the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) has introduced an electronic biometric registration system for inputs distribution and produce marketing this coming season.
This comes as AMA chief executive officer, Mr Clever Isaya announced that registration of five contractors and urged both contracted and self-financing farmers to get registered under the new electronic data system.
Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco), Agri Value Chain, Alliance Ginneries Ltd, Cangrow and Southern Cotton Company are the five merchants that have been registered so far.
“This year the authority is deploying an electronic data capturing system for all farmers who will be issued with inputs. Farmers’ biometric details will be captured and they will be issued with a farmer’s card. Both contracted and self-financed farmers are therefore required to be registered under the new system to enable them to sell during the marketing season,” Mr Isaya said.
He said self-financed farmers who are to produce free cotton should provide evidence of input purchases at the time of registration.
In a statement, Mr Isaya said: “The authority wishes to advise all contractors and farmers of seed cotton that clerks have been deployed to all cotton farming regions starting October 7. A total of 219 permanent input distribution points and 541 mobile points have been established.”
All registered cotton merchants are required to immediately start input distribution and ensure that the first tranche is completed by November 30, he added.
Statutory Instrument 142 of 2009, as amended, requires that all cotton inputs be distributed from the common input distribution point (CIDP) and farmers will be registered at these points as well as at AMA offices.
Cotton Producers and Marketers Association of Zimbabwe (CPMA) chairman, Mr Stewart Mubonderi welcomed the biometric farmer registration saying it will eliminate side marketing and help revamp cotton production.
“Side marketing is a cancer that kills the cotton industry and the initiative by AMA is the best, as it will curtail this scourge and promote ethical marketing.
“AMA must do this biometric registration exercise from distribution of the first tranche of inputs and continue until end of February when the second tranche is disbursed to assist in the validation exercise,” he said.
Mr Mubonderi, however, said promoting growing of free cotton was a master stroke that would see seed cotton production regaining yesteryear’s high figures of 353 000 tonnes.
“Growing free cotton will eliminate the challenge of non-payment of seed cotton sales and encourage competition among buyers for high prices. We are encouraging all contract and self-financing farmers to register at CIDPs. We are also encouraging input stockists to come closer to cotton growing areas to improve farmers’ access to inputs,” Mr Mubonderi observed.
Cottco chief executive officer, Mr Rockie Mutenha recently clarified that if farmers retained seed from the Presidential Input Scheme (PIS), they cannot be used as free cotton as seed cotton produced from such inputs has to be delivered to Cottco.
Statutory Instrument (SI) 63 of 2011, [Agricultural Marketing Authority (Seed Cotton and Seed Cotton Products) Regulations] defines ‘free cotton’ as seed cotton that is grown by a grower without contractual obligations or above contractual obligations agreed between the grower and contractor as confirmed by crop reports done end of March of each year.
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