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| Cotton field |
By Daniel
Chigundu
FINANCE Minister Patrick
Chinamasa says he is unhappy with the way farmers are dumping cotton in favour
of the high paying tobacco.
The
number of farmers who are turning to tobacco farming has been on a sharp
increase in the past three farming seasons, and the increase has been
attributed to competitive prices being paid for the “golden leaf”.
Tobacco
Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) a few weeks ago announced that 23 000 more farmers
have registered to grow tobacco in the 2013/2014 farming season, taking preliminary
figures of tobacco farmers somewhere in the region of 87 000.
Just
in the past selling season close to 161 million kilograms (Kgs) of tobacco went
under the hummer compared to 142 million Kgs sold in the 2011/2012 season.
Minister
Chinamasa said the situation cannot not be allowed to prevail arguing that
cotton provides more opportunities for the country, than any other crop.
“…we are most unhappy about what is happening
cotton industry; the Minister of Agriculture is going to look into that issue
about cotton production. We are very unhappy that traditional cotton growers
are migrating from cotton to other crops such as tobacco; this is a very
unsatisfactory development.
“It’s
something we should not accept, why because cotton throws up more opportunities
for us, because it has more value chain. If you are talking about serious
industrialisation, it should be along cotton value chain.
“So
we would want to see that the growing of cotton is not collapsed and so we are
going to formulate and come up with a policy to see that we do something and
see what interventions we can make in cotton.
“We
have to look at each value chain, who are the players, and what are they doing,
who is abusing who and the necessary interventions have to be made,” he said.
Although
cotton prices were increased early in the year from a minimum of US$0.35 per Kg
to a maximum of US$0.58, farmers still feel the prices are low and not attractive
enough compared to US$ 3.50 fetched by tobacco.
Statistic
from the Cotton Ginners Association indicate that production of cotton has been
on the retreating side failing to meet the 2012/2013 target of 250 000 tonnes
and only settling for something in below 145 000 tonnes.
The
increase in tobacco farming has not only taken its effects to cotton farming
but also the critical maize production.
Zimbabwe
recorded its all-time peak of 353 000 tonnes of cotton in 2000 and from that
time production has been on a downward spiral.
The downward trend in cotton production and side-marketing
by some unscrupulous farmers has also been attributed for causing the collapse
of the country’s textile industry.-
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