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Martha Leboho Masvingo Bureau
The Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) yesterday expressed concern over the projected low cotton output in the country this year, despite the pumping in of $60 million by Government for production of the “white gold’’ in the just-ended farming season.

Government extended inputs support to cotton farmers countrywide under the Presidential Free Inputs Scheme, with a target to put 400 000 hectares under the crop in the 2017/18 season.

But the projected yield of only 90 000 tonnes of cotton in the just-ended season has sent tongues wagging, amid fears it could be the worst in Zimbabwe’s cotton farming history.

Given that the country is expecting to produce 90 000 tonnes of the crop after putting about 400 000ha under cotton, it means the average yield per hectare will be way below 200kgs.

The country’s worst season in terms of cotton production was in 2016/17 when the average yield per hectare was 352kgs.

ZFU Masvingo regional manager Mr Jeremiah Chimwanda yesterday said it was unrealistic for the country to get yields of below 400kgs per hectare considering the timely availing of cotton inputs to Cottco by Government ahead of the 2017/18 season.

“From an agricultural point of view and given the circumstances that Government availed over $60 million towards the support of 400 000ha, it is shocking that we anticipate a yield of 90 000 tonnes in a season in which we received sufficient rainfall and had a reduced ball worm attack due to availability of adequate chemicals,” he said.

“To be frank, this would have been the best season for the country, but judging by what we are hearing this year — in the history of cotton farming — we are set to produce an average yield of less than 150kgs per hectare.

“Considering that Cottco financed 387 000ha under the crop, while the private sector financed 60 000ha, surely this would translate into the joke of the season.”

Mr Chimwanda urged Government to take stock of its investments in Cottco, with the aim of finding out if its resources were not being wasted.

“Government must look closely at this model in which they invested over $60 million and harvest 90 000 tonnes and buying a kilogramme of cotton at 47 cents, it translates to a loss as they will get around $43 million,” said Mr Chimwanda.

Private cotton merchants also cast doubts over this year’s yield projection, claiming they were expecting an average yield per hectare of between 600 to 1 000kgs after financing 60 000ha under cotton.

Southern Cotton Company managing director Mr Caos Nzenza said he was shocked by revelations that the country would produce only 90 000 tonnes of cotton, which he said was just a fraction of what they were expecting.

“We invested over $5 million this season and we anticipate an average yield per hectare of 1 000kgs on the 25 000ha that we financed,” he said.

“We are shocked that the country expects only 90 000 tonnes of cotton when Cottco financed about 400 000ha to be put under cotton, while private players chipped in with an additional 60 000ha, something must be wrong somewhere.”

Private cotton merchants have been lobbying Government to stop giving farmers free inputs, which are open to abuse by Cottco and the farmers themselves, but focus on giving incentives to farmers when they sell their crop.

The projected low yields this year will also likely put Cottco under the spotlight for failing to ramp up cotton output, despite the huge financial outlay by Government through providing free inputs.

Last month, officials at Surface Wilmar, a private investor in cooking oil pressing, told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands and Agriculture that they had a $100 million investment set for injection into Cottco, but were concerned by the alleged abuse of funds by the firm’s management.