Harare, (New Ziana)-The Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) on Tuesday said modalities are now in place for the registration of farmers who will get free seed cotton inputs for the 2024/25 summer cropping season.
In a statement, AMA said permanent and mobile inputs distribution points have already been established throughout the country.
“The Authority wishes to advise all contractors and farmers of seed cotton that it has deployed Clerks to all cotton farming regions beginning Monday the 7th of October 2024, A total of 219 permanent input distribution points and a further 541 mobile points have been established,” it said.
According to Statutory Instrument 142 of 2009, as amended, all cotton inputs are distributed from a common distribution point. AMA said starting this summer cropping season, it will be capturing farmers’ information electronically.
“This year, the Authority is deploying an electronic data capturing system for all farmers who will be issued with inputs, where their biometric details will be captured and a farmer card issued.
“Both contracted and self-financed farmers are therefore required to be registered under the new system to enable them to sell during the marketing season. Self-financed farmers should provide evidence of input purchase at the time of registration,” it said.
All registered cotton merchants namely the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe, Agri Value Chain, Alliance Ginneries Limited, Cangrow and Southern Cotton Company) are required to start input distribution during this period and are expected to have distributed the first tranche by the 30th of November this year, said AMA. “Farmers will be registered at all Cotton input distribution points as well as AMA offices,” it said.
The government introduced a number of farmer support programmes such as the Presidential Input Scheme and Pfumvudza/Intwasa through which farmers are given seed, fertilisers and chemicals for free, to boost production.
The introduction of support and competitive prices have seen many farmers returning to grow cotton after having abandoned it in favour of other cash crops like tobacco.
New Ziana
