Cotton marketing session extended

THE Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) has extended the 2024 cotton marketing season to July 31, 2024, as most farmers still have the white gold ready for sale.

The season was supposed to run up to July 6.

AMA chief executive officer Clever Isaya told NewsDay Business that due to the delay in the 2023/24 farming season, farmers in different areas still have cotton maturing in their field.

“We had a delay in the last farming season because of the late rains and the droughts. Right now, there are still farmers in different farming areas who still have their cotton seeds maturing and still preparing for sale,” Isaya said.

In a report by AMA this week, farmers in Mashonaland Central, Gokwe, Chiredzi, Sanyati, Bulawayo, Chinhoyi, Marondera and Mutare have had their marketing dates extended, with the longest extension ending July 31, 2024.

Isaya said the marketing season had not been good as the El Niño phenomenon ate into the season’s yields.

“There were low yields, and it has been challenging, characterised by a late and false start of the rains followed by prolonged dry spells,” he said.

He also noted that the current marketing season saw a few cases of side marketing owing to the quota system implemented this year.

AMA implemented a quota system based on the level of support each contractor provided during the current season.

No contractor was allowed to buy outside their quota save for self-financed crops.

“We have had very isolated cases of side marketing. This season, we implemented the quota system, and it has been very instrumental in dealing with side marketing. There were very few cases, I think we only recorded only two cases of side marketing,” Isaya said.

The regulator set this season’s minimum prices at US$0,43 per kg for Grade A, US$0,39/kg (Grade B), US$0,36/kg (Grade C) and US$0,32 (Grade D) for the white gold.

Cotton remains the country’s second most exported agricultural crop, after tobacco.-newsday