Calls for value addition of cotton in communities Speaking during the launch of the cotton marketing season in Mahuwe recently, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Dr Anxious Masuka urged farmers to embrace cotton value addition, as the country journeys towards rural industrialising rural communities.

Elton Manguwo

COTTON farmers must actively participate in the value addition and beneficiation of the crop in line with the country’s current push to strengthen crop value chains and set the economy on a positive growth trajectory towards achieving rural industrialisation and development.

Speaking during the launch of the cotton marketing season in Mahuwe recently, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Dr Anxious Masuka urged farmers to embrace cotton value addition, as the country journeys towards rural industrialising rural communities.

“We can’t have a situation where our farmers are not involved in the processing of their produce,” he said. 

Dr Masuka’s call comes at a time the Government is emphasising on value addition of cash crops to create both employment and value from primary production.

“Cotton production should be value added and processed in the areas in which it is being produced so that employment is created locally,” said Dr Masuka stressing that the move would be a key component of the devolution agenda.

The cotton industry value chain is set to benefit and accommodate 660 000 people as increased production will spur economic activity.

The Minister outlined Government’s strategy highlighting that agricultural development would lead to rural industrialisation and rural development thereby catalysing the attainment of an upper-middle income economy by 2030.

The Government is rolling out various programmes in the cotton sub-sector that are meant to increase production and productivity.

Last year, the Presidential input scheme Pfumvudza/Intwasa was extended to include cotton as part of the process to boost cotton production. 

Under the climate-proofed farming programme, every farmer received inputs and technical advice to ensure high levels of production.

According to the second crop and livestock assessment report seed cotton production volumes increased from 10 800 tonnes in 2016 to 116 053 tonnes in 2020/21 season to 152 000 tonnes this year.

“The increased production volumes, thanks to the positive impact of the Presidential input scheme are benefiting many stakeholders in the value chain including the textile industry, cooking oil industry, transport industry and the agriculture retail industry among others,” said the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) chief executive Mr Clever Isaya.

The climate-proofed Presidential Cotton Input Programme (Pfumvudza/Intwasa) enabled 400 000 farmers to boost production and expand the whole value chain in line with rural industrialisation.   

“I would therefore like to commend the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development for supporting our smallholder farmers through the programme,” said Mr Isaya.

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