According to local media reports Zachariah Ziyambi, Member of Parliament for Kadoma West, Zimbabwe, has urged the government to ensure a higher producer price for cotton this year to avoid cotton farmers turning their hands to maize production as a more profitable option.

The government is expected to meet the Cotton Promotion Council and other stakeholders this week to discuss producer prices as farmers were adamant that the $4,500 per tonne they received for their crops last year was inadequate.

Mr Ziyambi also encouraged cotton companies not to export the cotton in its raw form, but to process the crop into finished products in the areas where it is grown in order to provide local employment to add value.