According to a report by Zimbabwe’s “Herald” on October 27, data from the Zimbabwe Agricultural Marketing Agency showed that Zimbabwe’s cotton production fell by 71% this year, from 102,000 tons last year to 29,000 tons, the lowest value in more than 20 years.
Cotton used to be the country’s main source of foreign exchange. This year, El Niño brought drought and farmers turned to high-profit agricultural products such as tobacco, resulting in a sharp decline in cotton production. The cotton industry supports the livelihood of more than 400,000 farmers, and the government will invest another US$36 million this year to support cotton production. Zimbabwe’s cotton production fell by 71% this year
