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Locadia Mavhudzi, Midlands Correspondent
Farmers in Gokwe-Nembudziya have started picking cotton, amid high hopes that prices will be firmer this season.

Gokwe-Chireya Ward 9 Councillor Grace Marongwe said optimism was high in the cotton growing areas of firmer prices from the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco), which availed inputs to over 155 000 farmers across the country under the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme.

“We have just started picking cotton this month amid high expectations that we will get a fair price for the white gold,” she said. “We will be selling the cotton mainly to Cottco, which supplied us with all the seed, fertiliser and chemicals.”

Clr Marongwe said some farmers had already started delivering bales to the Cottco depot at Nembudziya where they were being given an advance payment of $50 to meet their immediate financial needs. “Although prices have not yet been announced, some farmers are delivering their cotton bales to the local depot where they are being given an advance payment of $50 cash,” she said.

Clr Marongwe said majority of cotton farmers were contracted by Cottco, while a few are under China Africa, adding that side marketers did not have a chance this season.

“We are not anticipating that side marketers will dupe us this season as our contractors who are mainly Cottco and China Africa will be coming to buy our products from the nearest points,” he said.

“Transport charges were hindering farmers from selling to approved companies in the past as side marketers were coming to buy the crop at our door steps at a lower price.”

Government have promised a good cotton farming season with the minimal price expected to be not less than 50 cents per kilogramme for grade A cotton.