Cotton output in Zimbabwe falls by 59% in MY 2021-22

Heavy rains and floods at the beginning of the MY and erratic rains received till December last year hit crops, AMA chief executive Clever Isaya told a domestic newspaper.

In January last year, tropical storm Ana destroyed both crops and animals, and a cold spell started in May, affected ball splitting of cotton, he said.

Cotton output in Zimbabwe fell by 59 per cent in the 2021-22 marketing year (MY) due to protracted payment delays, disappointing most farmers, according to Agricultural Marketing Authority data. Farmers produced 57,000 tonnes of the crop compared to 137,762 tonnes during MY 2020-21. A substantial part of the crop is produced under big corporate contracts.

Non-destruction of ratoon crop in some instances perpetuated pest and disease prevalence, he said.

A substantial part of the crop is produced under big corporate contracts, and corporations have been accused of abusing farmers by paying low prices or delaying payment.

The government recently announced new pre-planting producer prices and farmers observed that differential grading fees would not persuade farmers to improve the quality of their produce.

Cotton prices per grade will range from $0.40 per kg for grade D to $0.46 for grade A.

Cotton Producers and Marketers Association of Zimbabwe president Stewart Mubonderi said cotton farmers are happy about the new prices. Last year the pre-planting price was $0.32 per kg.

He, however, said the differential grading fees were not enticing enough to encourage farmers to grade their cotton.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)