The Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) has ordered all cotton contractors to pay farmers extra for higher-quality crops.
AMA’s agribusiness director, Jonathan Mukuruba, said seed cotton quality has been slipping over the years, largely because farmers weren’t receiving these grade-based price bonuses. Said Mukuruba:
“Lack of grade differential payments has demotivated farmers to pre-grade their seed cotton, with only one per cent in the grade A category last year.
“Drought and poor rainfall pattern, leaf trash, weak or immature fibres and insect stain (due to lack of adequate application of chemicals) are also to blame for the decline.
“These poor grades call for greater and more concerted efforts by all concerned parties in ensuring that differential grade prices are paid.
“Our farmers should be trained in cotton grading to ensure minimum contamination of seed cotton.”
Under Statutory Instrument 188 of 2022, Section 10(f), merchants are required to pay growers grade-based price differentials for their seed cotton deliveries following grading, with payments due by 30 November each year.
Stewart Mubonderi, chairman of the Cotton Producers and Marketers Association, said there has been little incentive for farmers to produce Grade A cotton, as they were often paid the lowest Grade D price.
He added that since the 2023 marketing season, many farmers have not received their grade-based differentials from contractors, in clear violation of the government’s directive. Said Mubonderi:
“Even with AMA threatening contractors that they will not be able to buy seed cotton if they are in arrears on grade differentials, the merchants get registered anyway and purchase the product without making any payment.
“This dampens the spirit of the farmer to produce a quality crop, with some even shifting to other crops like sesame.”
Cliffet Mangena, national coordinator for the Cotton Council of Zimbabwe (CCOZ), said farmers are practical people and would not bother grading a crop if they knew it would be paid at the lowest Grade D price, regardless of its quality.
The government introduced a grade-based pricing system during the 2023 marketing season. Last season, Grade A cotton was bought at US$0.41 per kg, Grade B at US$0.37 per kg, Grade C at US$0.34 per kg, and Grade D at US$0.30 per kg.
Although cotton farming has been declining in Zimbabwe in recent years, the crop remains important for its contributions to the textile industry, as well as to edible oil and stock feed production.
The Herald