Cotton sector pushes for hybrid seeds

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COTTON processors are pushing for the widespread use of hybrid seed varieties to increase output amid declining yields on the back of changing weather patterns.
Association of Cotton Value Adders of Zimbabwe chairman, Pious Manamike, told a recent meeting of farmers and industry players that hybrid varieties production could jump five-fold from the current levels.

“Right now, with the current local varieties that we call open pollinated varieties we are averaging about 300 kgs per hectare in a drought year. We have gone to interrogate the hybrid seed and realised, after trials, that the hybrid seed can be a bridging gap between the GMO and what we are having right now,” Manamike said.