Published: 01 August 2017

Zimbabwe's cotton output will be lower than expected this year due to a number of factors including excessive rains, which have made crop management and pest control a challenge.

The country was expecting a yield of at least 100 000 tonnes of the commodity, but output could be between 70 000 and 75 000 tonnes.

Above normal rains received during 2016/17 season made chemicals less effective, exposing the cotton crop to pests, particularly boll-worms. It has also emerged that some cotton farmers diverted large portions of inputs such as fertilisers to production of food crops such as maize given that the country was coming out of a drought season.

The Cotton Company of Zimbabwe, through the Presidential Input Scheme, invested $42 million into production to support about 300 000 households during the last season.

Cotton buyers from Mozambique also took advantage of prevailing cash shortages in the country by offering cash to growers in areas near the Zimbabwe and Mozambique border such as Mt Darwin, Mushumbi, Mukumbura and Checheche.
- the herald

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