MPs Criticise COTTCO For Paying Farmers Using Groceries
Members of Parliament have expressed concern with the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco)’s inability to pay farmers for their 2022 deliveries, reported ZimLive.
The legislators also bemoaned Cottco’s tendency to use groceries to pay farmers for their cotton.
Speaking in the National Assembly last week, Kambuzuma legislator Willias Madzimure (CCC), demanded that the government cotton merchant treats cotton farmers with dignity. Madzimure said:
The issue of giving farmers groceries and sometimes equipment to use in the fields does not augur well for farmers.
When farmers deliver produce, they are expecting to get their money in cash so that they will then decide on their own what they want to use the money for, instead of them being asked to go to a shop and pick up groceries or implements.
Gokwe-Kabuyuni legislator Spencer Tshuma (ZANU PF) noted that cotton farmers were now failing to pay school fees for their children.
Responding to the lawmakers, Acting Agriculture Minister Felix Mhona confirmed farmers have been paid using groceries.
He, however, added that farmers were never forced to accept groceries saying it was a voluntary arrangement between the parties. He said:
I think the time when that was happening was more of a voluntary programme where one would opt to get groceries. Of late, this is not happening.
Where people were actually getting groceries in terms of payment, going forward and as it is now, the government is going to pay farmers their hard-earned money and not in the form of goods.
Mhona also acknowledged that payments to cotton farmers had been delayed and said the government was looking into the issue to ensure that the farmers are paid.
Finance Deputy Minister Clemence Chiduwa said cotton farmers were owed more than US$28 million. Said Chiduwa:
Last week but one is when we agreed that in order for us to pay out that money, we are paying US$5 million per week.
So, I expect that in the following week, we will be able to pay all the outstanding money in tranches of US$5 million per week.
