Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Roselyne Sachiti
21 September 2009
Muzarabani — Sprinklers wet the dry, thirsty ground at a cotton ginnery at Muzarabani Growth Point in Mashonaland Central Province while gigantic heaps of lint and unginned cotton welcome visitors to the place.
Two haulage trucks loaded with lint rumble, huff and puff as they snake their way out of the ginnery headed for the bright lights of Harare.
Just outside the ginnery is 75-year-old cotton farmer Sekuru Charles Utete of Utete Village under Chief Kasekete who looks at the haulage truck disappearing with the "white gold" most villagers sold for "peanuts".
"I sold three bales of cotton to my contractor who I owed US$150 for inputs. I cannot afford to pay the debt because the contractor paid US$120. Now they have sent debt collectors to attach my plough and cart because I cannot repay them using the money they gave me," said the old man.
He said he travelled from his village, about 20km from Muzarabani Growth Point, to plead with the contractor to return his belongings.
The maximum weight for a cotton bale is 300kg although some farmers can go well below that. Most contractors have been paying a producer price of US30 cents per kg.
"I don't want to grow cotton anymore. I want them to return my plough and cart so that I can grow maize and feed my family," said the disgruntled Sekuru Utete.
Since the 1960's the cotton industry has become an important part of the Zimbabwean economy.
Agriculture can make a significant contribution to the country's attainment of Millennium Development Goals and is the sector from which most of the rural poor in Zimbabwe derive their income.
But, this has not been the case for cotton farmers in Muzarabani and other rural areas who feel their sweat is going to "waste" as the money they are getting is not enough to sustain their livelihoods.
Most farmers say the continued wrangle between cotton producers and farmers over the ever-falling cotton producer prices has reached a breaking point.
Tirivanhu Shiri of Mutemakungu Village says he has nothing to show for his cotton sales and his family is living in abject poverty.
"My family has absolutely nothing to show for the cotton we sell every year. We are living in poverty despite all the work and time we spent in the cotton fields.
"The company that contracted me paid US 25 cents per kg. I sold two bales for US$100, but the money is not enough to buy food and farming inputs," laments a disgruntled Shiri as he pushes a wheelbarrow full of ripe tomatoes and lush green vegetables for resale at the growth point.
He said the money he got from cotton sales this year was frustrating and would push him out of the cotton farming business.
"The money I am pocketing from the vegetable sales is better than what I am receiving from the cotton contractor," he added.
While the Zimbabwean story is sad, producer prices in the region are almost similar. The problem has largely been the high cost of inputs and this has impacted negatively on farmers' earnings.
In Zambia, the Zambian Cotton Growers Association met with farmers' representatives (Cotton Association of Zambia) and agreed a national price of US25c per kg.
However, most inputs, such as seed, fertilizer and chemicals are cheaper.
In Mozambique, the ministry responsible for agriculture set the current season price at US19c per kg.
Then in Uganda a minimum price payable to the farmer this year was officially announced at US23c per kg.
However, Uganda does not have a Cotton Act, which protects the interests of stakeholders in the cotton industry.
The international price of unginned cotton was pegged at US45c per kg. while the prices in Zimbabwe fell to as low as US15c per kg.
The depressed international prices of cotton are attributable to subsidies and government support by developed countries.
The subsidies are creating serious distortions on the international market.
Muringazuva Ward 8 Councillor Mr Norman Chizeya said he has held several meetings with villagers who have indicated that they want ginners to motivate them by paying more money.
"After ginning, the lint fetches a premium thus we want local ginners to offer us favourable prices that motivate us to grow the crop in the next season. Look at how much tobacco farmers got this season.They will definitely grow more as their hard work paid off," he said.
Mr Chizeya hinted that rural cotton farmers should be empowered to have a stake in ginneries so that their area benefits from the sales in terms of development and poverty alleviation.
"I read that a South African cotton ginnery was commissioned by cotton farmers in the Vaalharts irrigation area in 2004.
The ginnery is a joint venture between the Industrial Development Corporation and cotton farmers with a Black Economic Empowerment component of at least 25 percent reserved for workers and emerging farmers," he said.
He said he was encouraging farmers to plant maize, sorghum and millet this season as the crops did not require much work and did not give "headaches".
"It pains us to see some of the companies' financial reports in newspapers and corporate magazines.
"They are making lots of money yet they pay us peanuts," complained the councilor.
He added that fertilizer was expensive with a 50kg bag going for anything between US$30 and US$45.
Another farmer Mrs Rosa Mesi (60) said the sight of the rumbling haulage trucks that damage the dirt roads hurt her.
"I got US$94 from two bales of cotton I sold last season. I owed one of the cotton companies US$147 for inputs and it means I still have to pay them US$53. Where will I get the money?" asked the woman.
She said she also lost her property to contractors after failing to pay her debt.
"I have no choice but to sell one cow and pay the debt then reclaim my plough, wheelbarrow and a small radio. I hope someone will buy the cow soon because
"I also need extra money to buy food and pay school fees for my orphaned grandson," she said.
Another farmer who declined to be named said cotton companies had reduced them to "their slaves", as they could not negotiate for better prices.
"The prices are imposed on us, but the cotton companies seem not to understand that they need us and we need them. Even though we are small scale cotton farmers, our ouput is very important, but it seems like we are working for nothing," he said.
Director general of the Cotton Growers Association of Zimbabwe Mr Godfrey Bhuka could not be reached for comment as he was out of the country.
He, however, recently said local cotton producers should aim for maximum yields for them to earn meaningful profits.
Mr Bhuka said the current economic situation in Zimbabwe did not allow Government to subsidise farmers like in other countries hence the only way for farmers to break even relatively quickly was for them to increase the yield per unit area.
"For the farmer to get better yields he needs adequate inputs, he needs assurance that these will be recovered. For the assurance to be in place there is need for cotton legislation," said Mr Bhuka.
Zimbabwe Farmers Union director Paul Zakariya recently said the cotton producer prices were not favourable for farmers.
Contractors have been calling for laws to deal with the problems of farmers who do not fulfill their end of the bargain by side marketing their produce to other buyers.
However, Government recently gazetted regulations that seek to give a framework for the operations of cotton industry stakeholders who have been hit by poor pricing and side-marketing this year. The Agricultural Marketing Authority (Seed Cotton and Seed Cotton Products) Regulations 2009 will also regulate the entire production chain from crop to marketing to encourage the growth of the industry.
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Yes well these people voted for Mugabe in 1980. So they reap what they sow.
I bet it was one of Mugabes cronies that runs the cotton mill.