By Christopher Makaza

The cotton company of Zimbabwe (Cottco), Chiredzi depot is planning to replace old ginning machinery with modern and more efficient ones to maximise production.

Speaking to the Harare Post in Chiredzi yesterday, Chiredzi Depot Plant Foreman, Mr Tabudamo Mutonhori said their ginning machinery was currently processing 18 000 tonnes per agricultural season compared to 25 000 tonnes it used to process when it was new. Mutonhori said modern ginning machinery had a capacity to process more than 40 000 tonnes per season.

 He noted that the ginning machinery they currently have is from America and is very expensive to maintain.

 "Our machines are too expensive to maintain. We have to import spare parts from America and we need around US $100 000 for spare parts only per each agricultural season, hence the need to gradually phase them out," he said.

 Mutonhori also mentioned electricity power cuts as another challenge affecting production, adding that using generator as an alternative source of power has proved to be expensive because of the high cost of fuel.

There are currently six ginneries in the country including those in Chinhoyi, Checheche and Chiredzi.

In preparation for the 2019/20 agricultural season, Mutonhori said Cottco had since activated Agricultural Extension Officers to make sure that farmers were equipped with good agronomic skills ahead of the farming season.