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Elita Chikwati Agriculture Reporter
Ginners and farmer organisations have opened negotiations for viable cotton prices to lure back farmers who had abandoned the crop.
Most farmers abandoned the crop because of poor prices and are now growing tobacco.Zimbabwe Commercial Farmers Union president Mr Wonder Chabikwa said many farmers were discouraged from growing cotton because of the low prices that buyers offered over the years.

“This has forced most farmers to switch to tobacco where they are now getting less money,” he  said.
“The farmers do not have enough knowledge and experience on growing tobacco and, therefore, should be motivated to return to  cotton.”

Mr Chabikwa said farmers were taking a business decision to enter into lucrative crops like tobacco and the cotton sector should be  revived if it was going to attract farmers.

Cotton council spokesman Mr Garikayi Msika said nearly 300 000 hectares of cotton were planted this season with expected average yield of 700 kgs per hectare.

He said farmers could boost yields if they used adequate fertilisers.