Zimbabwe’s cotton output will be lower than expected this year. The country was expecting a yield of at least 1,00 000 ton of the commodity but the actual output could be between 70, 000 and 75,000 tons. Above normal rains received during the 2016-17 season made chemicals less effective, exposing the cotton crop to pests, particularly bollworms. Some cotton farmers diverted large portions of inputs such as fertilisers to production of food crops such as maize given that the country was coming out of a drought season.

In some areas, where cotton was planted late, the crop is now under threat from livestock such as cattle and goats because some villagers have stopped tending to their animals. Production will suffer from moisture related downgrades. Abuse of cotton inputs remained rife as farmers diverted cotton inputs to other or more lucrative crops, such as tobacco. Coming from a drought year, many farmers only took seed so that they could have access to fertilisers, which they used in maize production.

Excessive rains in some areas destroyed the crop and also made pest control difficult. Yield per unit area was significantly affected. Cotton buyers from Mozambique also took advantage of prevailing cash shortages in the country. They offered cash to growers while local firms were largely paying using mobile platforms.