Published: 13 March 2014

Ginners and farmer organisations have opened negotiations for viable cotton prices to lure back farmers who had abandoned the crop.

Most cotton farmers abandoned the crop because of poor prices and are now growing tobacco.

Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Wonder Chabikwa said many farmers were discouraged from growing cotton because of the low prices that buyers offered over the years.

"This has forced most farmers to switch to tobacco where they are now getting less money. The farmers do not have enough knowledge and experience on growing tobacco and therefore should be motivated to return to cotton," he said.

Chabikwa said farmers were taking a business decision to enter into lucrative crops like tobacco and the cotton sector should be revived if it was going to attract farmers.

Cotton council spokesman Garikayi Msika said nearly 300 000 hectares of cotton were planted this season with expected average yield of 700 kilogrammes per hectare.

He said farmers could boost yields if  they used adequate fertilizers.
- bh24

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