FREE SEEDS FOR LOCAL COTTON FARMERS

MBABANE – Looking ahead into the upcoming farming season, cotton farmers will be thrilled to know that the Eswatini Cotton Board (ECB) will be providing free seeds.
This forms part of the Board’s new strategy to enhance the cotton production in the country that has been quite lower in the recent years, when compared to many years ago.
It is no secret that cotton was once the most popular and profitable crop in Eswatini and through the new strategy, the ECB aims to take the sector to its past glory.
Schedule. In an interview with this publication, ECB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Daniel Khumalo, shared that ahead of the upcoming farming season schedule to commence around October 16, they are targeting to give 10kg free seeds to 1 000 farmers each.

Khumalo said they would be offering their latest variety, that demands less effort and grows faster. He said by this initiative, they are targeting to double the cotton yields. He shared that the recent harvesting, that ended around end of July, saw cotton yields increasing to 650 metric tonnes from 505 metric tonnes realised in the previous year. Khumalo said the harvest grew, despite the drop in the number of small-scale farmers, that dropped to 432 from 917.

Hike

He said however, the production from the large irrigating farmers, that included the likes of Nisela Farms, contributed to the increased harvest. Khumalo said part of their strategy also speaks to the hike in the cotton prices from E7.50 per kilo to E8. He said this should also motivate farmers, as it would benefit them, as they have all along been pleading for an increase in the buying price. The CEO added that the Board will also continue to provide the free transport services to farmers, for ferrying cotton products from the fields to the Cotton Ginnery, situated at Big Bend. He said even if a farmer had transported their product to the ginnery, they would be reimbursed.

The CEO mentioned that currently, they are at the preparatory stage for the upcoming farming season. He said part of the preparations include registering and training farmers in the different constituencies around the country. He further mentioned that the Cotton Revolving Fund is still available for farmers to utilise and access funds that would help them procure pesticides and other necessary chemicals.It is worth noting that government increased the fund allocations for the Cotton Evolving Fund by almost 67 per cent. According to the 2024/25 budget estimates, the grants to be pumped into this fund increased from the E1.5 million, injected in the past years, to E2.5 million. The Cotton Revolving Fund was launched by the then Minister of Agriculture, Jabulani Mabuza, in a couple of years ago. The fund was meant to assist cotton growers in terms of funding them, amid high production costs.

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