Farmers have called for an early start to the 2025 cotton marketing season to avoid potential side-marketing by farmers under pressure to get cash to cover household needs.
Cotton picking is at peak in different parts of the country as farmers wait for the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) to announce the date for the start of the marketing season, producer price and marketing modalities.
This follows the 2026 cotton validation report by AMA, which revealed a 33 percent increase in seed cotton output from last year’s 29 000 tonnes to 38 500 tonnes this year
AMA promised that it will not issue the buyer’s license to contractors in places where there is non-planting by farmers, low established hectarage, failure to identify registered farmers and their fields, failure to participate during the validation exercise and dual contracting.
In addition, a stricter quota system will be implemented for the surrounding Common Buying Points (CBPs) where the contractors were found to be non-compliant.
Last season, farmers were paid US$0, 41 per kg for grade A, with grade B at US$0.37, grade C at US$0, 34 and grade D fetched US$0, 30.
Cotton Producers and Marketers Association (CPMA) chairman, Mr Stewart Mubonderi, yesterday said farmers were ready to sell the white gold to earn money and meet their family needs.
“Farmers are ready to sell their crop to get cash, especially with the opening of schools, they need cash for fees. The prompt opening of the marketing season will eradicate surrogate buyers (who offer cash and low prices), reduce side marketing and protect contractors,” he said.
Mr Mubonderi expressed worry on the unavailability of wool packs to farmers contracted by the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco), saying this would affect quality, grades and picking pace.
“The cotton harvesting has reached its peak period and the unavailability of woolpacks exposes farmers to fire damage and theft. We are waiting for AMA to announce the price and unveil this year’s marketing modalities under the quota system,” he said.
Statutory Instrument (SI) 118 of 2022 [Chapter 18:12], Agricultural Marketing Authority (Seed Cotton and Seed Cotton Products) (Amendment) Regulations, under section 14 states that, “A fully compliant buyer or contractor shall only purchase seed cotton allocated to them as their buying quota as determined by the level of support.
The authority shall, by April 1 each year, issue contractors’ or buyers’ licences to compliant buyers or contractors specifying the allocated quota by buying point. “A buyer or contractor shall, upon purchasing seed cotton, place a woolpack identification document (ID) on the wool. All contractors should issue adequate wool packs to their growers by March 15 of each year.”
Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development recently, Cottco managing director Mr Munyaradzi Chikasha said they had not yet supplied farmers with woolpacks as required due to financial constraints.
“As a result of the challenges that we have financially, we could not manage to secure woolpacks in time. But we have made provisions for alternative packaging material that we are going to use this season,” he said.
Mr Chikasha said negotiations with banks were progressing well to ensure farmers are paid for this season’s intake and outstanding arrears from past years.
Meanwhile, the 2025/26 Crop, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment report 2 (CLAFA 2) revealed that cotton production increased 26 percent, driven by area expansion from 122 493 in 2024/25 season to 154 938 hectares in the 2025/26 season.-herald
