Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. ZIMBABWE’S cotton production has collapsed to a fraction of yesteryear output, falling below 30 000 metric tonnes for the 2024-25 season, forcing the country’s textile industry to rely heavily on imports.
Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development permanent secretary Obert Jiri said production declined from a historic high of 350 000 metric tonnes to just 28 000 tonnes last year.
“This has weakened our textile industry and increased our reliance on imports. So we must turn this graph up,” Jiri said as he appealed to farmers to increase output.
He said this during the World Cotton Day commemorations held in Harare yesterday.
Cotton is the nation’s second-largest export crop after tobacco and supports over a million households, particularly in arid regions like Gokwe, Muzarabani and Sanyati.
disruptive practice of side-marketing.
Authorities have announced a new plan to enforce biometric registration of all cotton farmers through the Agricultural Marketing Authority.
The initiative, similar to that of the tobacco industry, is designed to curb side-marketing by linking farmers to specific contractors and their land co-ordinates.
“We hope starting this season, we will do proper registration, so that there is no cross-marketing, there is no side-marketing and there is no argument of who this farmer belongs to,” Jiri said.
He reiterated government’s commitment to supporting farmers, targeting at least 180 000 hectares for the 2025-26 season.
Jiri emphasised the need for timely input delivery and treating farmers as entrepreneurs to revive the sector.
Cottco board chairperson, Sifelani Jabangwe, underscored the crop’s vital role in poverty alleviation.
“We have witnessed remarkable growth in infrastructure, household incomes and community resilience. Schools have been built, homes and lives secured, all because of cotton,” he said.
The cotton production crisis is a severe blow to a crop once considered “white gold” and a pillar of the rural economy.
The industry’s struggle was further illustrated by last year’s harvest of 28 000 metric tonnes, less than half of the 60 000-tonne target.
The shortfall is blamed on erratic rainfall and farmer dissatisfaction with payment delays.
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