Zimbabwe: Government intervenes to reduce cotton production costs

Government will take over provision of extension services to cotton farmers from contractors in the 2023/24 cropping season in a move meant to reduce the cost of production and allow farmers to get better seed cotton prices when the white gold is marketed later. Announcing the proposed cotton production enhancement and marketing arrangement recently, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka said Government had instituted measures meant to cut on production costs and stimulate productivity. "Cottco will dismantle their parallel extension system with immediate effect and the extension for everyone will be provided by Government so as to cut on costs and pay farmers high prices. Contractors can then capacitate Agritex to provide better extension to their farmers," said Dr Masuka. Agricultural extension officers are intermediaries between research and farmers who operate as facilitators and communicators, helping them in their ...