Illegal cotton intercepted
Agric firm appeals to govt
TINASHE MAKICHI
The Agriculture Marketing Authority (AMA) and Cottco have intercepted a consignment of ratoon cotton worth millions of dollars from a local cotton farming firm, Agri Alliance, Business Times has established.
Ratoon cotton, which is prone to pests and diseases, was deemed illegal in Zimbabwe under Statutory Instrument 142 of 2019.
But, Agri Alliance has been growing this type of cotton in partnership with local farmers in the Middle Sabi area in Manicaland Province.
The interception of the crop has now triggered an all-out war pitting Agri Alliance and Cottco, the country’s sole buyer of cotton.
Local farmers, who partnered Agri Alliance, are now set to lose millions of dollars they expected to earn from the sale of the cotton.
AMA chief executive officer, Clever Isaya, said the matter is under discussion.
“You should understand that it is illegal to produce ratoon crops in Zimbabwe according to the law. The reason has been concerns around the issue of diseases and pests,” Isaya told Business Times.
“The cotton farming company in question (Agri Alliance) had forwarded the crop for ginning and that’s when it was quarantined by AMA. “We are still in discussion with all the people involved pending an outcome.”
Efforts to get a comment from Agri Alliance were futile.
Ratooning is a process when cotton farmers do not cut cotton stems soon after harvesting as stipulated by the law, deliberately leaving it to grow on its own at the onset of the next rainy season for a second harvest.
According to experts, ratoon cotton is prone to pests such as aphids, silver leaf whitefly and mealy and diseases.
Ratoon cotton also carries over disease such as verticillium wilt, black root rot and fusarium.
Business Times is informed that Agri Alliance had ratoon cotton harvested from a 7000 hectares farm in Middle Sabi, worth millions which was set for ginning.
The consignment was intercepted by AMA and Cottco leading to the seizure of the cotton by AMA.
According to authorities, ratoon cotton is said to be prone to diseases and in some instances has the capacity to breed pests that are usually disastrous to the production of cotton in the country.
Well-placed sources told Business Times that Cottco has vowed to destroy the crop as enshrined in the law.
It is understood that Agri Alliance has since appealed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, Anxious Masuka.
“Cottco has since ordered the destruction of the ratoon harvested. This is the cotton that is supposed to uplift the lives of local people (in Middle Sabi). Some of the farmers in partnership with Agri Alliance are war veterans in Middle Sabi,” one source told Business Times.
“(But) there are negotiations happening at the moment after AMA ordered the consignment to be quarantined pending further investigations. There has always been a war playing out between Cottco and this local farmer [Agri Alliance].”
Other sources said there are political heavyweights interested in the matter. The issue, they said, has since been escalated which might see the ban on ratoon cotton being lifted.
Experts say there are ways to address the issues of diseases and pests considering the changing cotton farming landscape.
The cotton industry remains strategic to Zimbabwe’s economy as it sustains about 400 000 households and has the potential of significantly generating foreign currency.
