Cotton, which is fast replacing tobacco as Zimbabwe's premier export crop, is expected to drop by about 4 percent this year.
This year’s crop is now estimated at about 250,000 tonnes, compared to 260,000 tonnes last year. 198,000 tonnes were realised in 2005.
However, the cotton industry is still committed to expand production from the current levels to 1 million tonnes by 2010 through increasing the hectarage under production and putting more farmers under the contract farming scheme.
The National Cotton Ginners, Merchants and Buyers (NACGMB), an association formed in 2006, had mulled plans to increase the hectarage put under cotton production by 40 percent every year. It seeks to increase production through expanded and regulated contract growing.
The industry is planning to increase the hectarage put under cotton production to 555,600 hectares next year, which will be expected to produce 500,000 tonnes.
The one million tonnes that is being targeted can only be produced from one million hectares that produces seed worth US$500 million. NACGMB estimates that cotton lint, which is one of Zimbabwe’s biggest exports , is estimated to earn the country US$140 million from the export of 110,000 tonnes.
Zimbabwean laws stipulate that of total crop produced, only 25 percent finds its way to the export market. Although the association’s regulatory framework is being worked out, side marketing and the hyper-inflationary environment continues to pose a serious challenge on the sector.
Zimbabwe has a ginning capacity of 750,000 tonnes.
Sunday Mail
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