The Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (COTTCO) says it will pay cotton farmers all they are owed before the start of the next season.
Recently, COTTCO said it had paid ZWL$1 billion and US$9.9 million to cotton farmers, with more than 50 000 tonnes having been paid for.
The producer price for the current marketing season is US$0.30 plus $32 for each kilogramme delivered.
Addressing cotton farmers at the Harare Agricultural show last week on Friday, COTTCO’s acting accounts officer, Munyaradzi Chikasha, said:
We promise to give you inputs on time so go and prepare. We want to achieve better results next season.
All outstanding payments will be done soon so we are urging farmers to continue with cotton farming next season. Our hope is to have over 400 000 farmers next season.
About 237 000 farmers grew cotton this year compared to 387 000 last year. We appreciate the great effort you are doing in farming.
We urge you to continue doing hard work. We also applaud Government for introducing foreign currency payments to our farmers.
Cotton Producers and Marketers Association of Zimbabwe president Stewart Mubonderi urged COTTCO to avail farming inputs so that farmers can plant on time. | The Herald