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Edgar Vhera Agriculture Specialist Writer

COTTON contractors are set to contract over 600 000 growers to produce seed cotton on 480 000 hectares in the forthcoming 2022/23 cropping season.

The largest contractor, the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco), which accounts for over 85 percent of seed cotton sales revealed its plans to contract 520 000 households and support the production of 400 000ha.

Cottco acting chief accounting officer Mr Munyaradzi Chikasha said they wanted to ensure that seed cotton production rebounded this season after suffering a huge decline from 137 762 tonnes in 2021 to a possible 55 000 tonnes in 2022, representing a 60 percent decline.

Cotton bales being delivered to the cotton buying point Mr Chikasha disclosed that Cottco had already procured 24 tonnes of hybrid seed capable of covering 6 000ha while plans were underway to procure another 170 tonnes of Mahyco hybrid seed from India capable of covering 42 500ha.

He went on to reveal that cotton was among the crops under Pfumvudza/Intwasa Scheme.

“Farmers are grateful for the inputs support through the Presidential Inputs Scheme for cotton. Inputs are being delivered with the tillage programme targeting 46 500ha already underway,” commented Mr Chikasha.

He disclosed that Cottco’s seed cotton intake to date was 46 525 tonnes and 86 percent of the farmers’ payments had already been disbursed with the balance set to be cleared September 30, 2022.

The Government’s intervention this marketing season saw farmers getting 75 percent of their money in foreign currency on the spot with Cottco also farmers’ outstanding payments from past seasons.

This has motivated to put more land under cotton in the forthcoming season.

“Farmers are happy with the 75 percent foreign currency component paid in 2022. Government has cleared all outstanding subsidy payments. While seed cotton intake was low due to unfavourable weather patterns, we expect the number of farmers to grow from 230 000 registered last year to 380 000 in the 2022/2023 season on the back of improved payments,” pointed out Mr Chikasha.

He also revealed that the buying season had ended and Cottco was busy moving seed cotton and processing final farmers’ payments. Farmer registration for the next season has since commenced.

Cottco had ginned over half of the seed cotton it bought and targets to complete ginning by November. The company has also resumed lint exports and reserved 30 percent of the lint for the local market and waiting for local players to approach them.

Mr Chikasha also applauded the local banks for rendering them support in the buying of seed cotton from farmers.

Cotton Ginners Association (CGA) acting chairman, Mr Caos Nzenze indicated that their four-member association was coming to the party and targeting to contract about 90 000 households for 80 000ha.

“We are required to give farmers the minimum inputs package set by Government, which comprise two bags of basal fertiliser and one top-dressing, 20kg of seed and chemicals,” said Mr Nzenze.

Mr Nzenze revealed that they were not importing Mahyco hybrid seed from India, as it was expensive.

Last year four kilogrammes of Mahyco seed for a hectare cost US$80 while local varieties required US$25 for 15kg, which is enough to cover a hectare.

Cotton Producers and Marketers Association chairman, Mr Stewart Mubonderi recently indicated that there was need for farmers to plant the high yielding Mahyco hybrid cotton to fight the low cotton productivity trap besetting us.

Planting open pollinated varieties of seed cotton on 480 000ha is projected to yield 170 880 tonnes the hybrid seed will give a yield of 960 000 tonnes basing on the 2021 average yield of 0,356 tonnes per hectare for OPVs while the hybrid will produce two tonnes per hectare.

Last season 332 212 growers were registered to grow cotton, hence an increase to 600 000 will represent a giant 81 percent leap.