The Sunday Mail
Nokuthula Dube
OVER 300 000 households have so far joined the Pfumvudza/Intwasa cotton scheme, with Government targeting to produce a total of 450 000 metric tonnes of cotton in the 2021/2022 season.
Government targets to produce 250 000 metric tonnes from the Pfumvudza scheme, while 200 000 metric tonnes will be produced by the private sector.
The dry spell, which affected most parts of the country last year, however, saw some farmers replanting, with others planting late.
Responding to questions from The Sunday Mail last week, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement said it is expecting a good yield for the season.
“Over 300 000 farmers have joined the Pfumvudza/Intwasa scheme this season and we were encouraging farmers to continue planting or to replant even if the deadline had passed,” said the Ministry.
“Farmers had planted early but a dry spell resulted in poor germination and some crops succumbing to the heat, this led to replanting of the crop. We are optimistic of a good yield.”
A State of Preparedness for the 2021/22 Agricultural Season report released by the Ministry last year indicated that Government will support a quarter hectare of each household to ensure that the land is manageable under the 2021/22 season.
“The 2021/22 programme will support a quarter hectare of Pfumvudza cotton. This will ensure that the area under cotton is small enough to easily prepare, manage weeds and insects, and even water by hand with harvested rainwater,” reads part of the report.
“In addition, the land size is manageable so that in the event of a mid-season dry spell or drought conservation measures like tied ridging and potholing can be implemented.”
Cotton Producers and Marketers Association of Zimbabwe chairperson, Mr Stewart Mubonderi, said they are encouraging farmers to continue planting and constantly consult with Agritex officers.
“We would like to thank Government for the inputs, which were distributed as early as October,” he said.
“We remain positive despite experiencing a long spell of dryness from November to late December last year.
“We have therefore been encouraging farmers to replant, and to those who had not planted to start and not to sell seeds as this will affect the targeted national yield.”
Cotton is one of the biggest sources of income for farmers in Sanyati in Mashonaland West, Rushinga, Muzarabani and Matepatepa in Mashonaland Central, Checheche in the southern part of Manicaland, as well as Fuve and Panganai area in southern Masvingo.
Zimbabwe’s cotton production reached its lowest in the 2015/2016 agricultural season when 28 000 metric tonnes were produced.
For the 2020/2021 season, the country produced 194 000 metric tonnes of cotton.
