HARARE – The Cotton Council of Zimbabwe (CCOZ) has called for the early payment of farmers to ensure they remain viable and not abandon production of other high-value crops.Cotton farmers are yet to get an outstanding payment of $2 billion from last season.In a statement, the CCOZ said Government was doing a good job in supporting cotton farmers with free inputs and subsidised producer prices but expressed concern over the delays in payments.“In an inflationary environment such as currently prevailing in our economy, the outstanding payments lose buying power to the extent that by the time the farmer gets the money, it would not reflect the true value that it would have had at the time the farmers’ cotton was collected by the buying contractor.“This inevitably results in the industry losing experienced farmers,” said CCOZ.Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos said Government was aware of the payment delays and had […]
Zim farmers concerned over cotton payment delays
