Cofa sees cotton harvest tumbling
Cotton Farmers Association (Cofa) has expressed worry over development of cotton seed in the field following continued heavy rains received in some parts of the country.
This comes barely a month after the African Institute for Corporate Citizenship (AICC) hinted that the country could experience a decline in cotton production this year.
The firm said cotton production has mainly been affected by floods which hit about 70 percent of the area the crop was grown on.
In an interview, Cofa President Dickson Gundani said there was little they could do but hope for little damage to the crop due to the rains.
“The crop is still at development stage in the field but too much rains could cause a huge damage to the crop. Chances of a better part of the crop surviving, are at 50 percent but we only hope for the best so that, at the end of the day, we have something to realise for our troubles,” Gundani said.
But in a separate interview Cotton Council of Malawi (CCM) Executive Director Cosmas Luwanda said the continued rains do not pose a serious threat to cotton production.
“The growing season commenced late due to the late onset of the rains and most of the farmers planted only in January; so, yes, it is in the development stage and if there will be any bolls that would be destroyed, they will be very few.
“Anytime soon, the rains will stop coming and the rains will begin to mature and sprout.
Even the variety that the farmers have used is a hybrid seed that was bread to resist boll worms’ attacks,” Luwanda said.
He indicated that this year they expect cotton production to reach 23,000 metric tonnes from around 20,000 metric tonnes last year.
