The cotton industry in Zambia has developed into the country’s largest quasi-formal distribution network with some 200,000 smallholder farmers with an estimated one million dependants participating in various out grower schemes. This important agricultural sector relies almost solely on input pre-financing schemes operated by out grower/ginning companies, who after pre-financing the farmers’ crop buy the seed cotton produced and deduct the value of the pre-financed inputs from the money payable for the seed cotton.

The Cotton Association of Zambia (CAZ) was established and launched on 25th November 2005 so as to provide a platform for smallholder cotton farmers to have an input in the operations and future development of the cotton industry in Zambia. The two main mandates of the Association are summarised as follows:

• Lobby and advocacy on behalf of cotton producers with ginning companies with regard to seed cotton pricing and contractual arrangements as well as liaison with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MACO) and other Ministries on cotton policies, environmental issues, tax issues and the provision of technical extension services. In so doing, establishing a more pro-active relationship between ginners, producers and the government, by acting as an honest broker when major issues arise.
• Providing services to the membership in areas of information, yield improvement, training programmes, HIV/AIDS awareness and gender mainstreaming through making use of the nationwide ZNFU affiliated District Farmers’ Associations (DFAs) network to provide services to the farmers. The DFAs have established networks of Information Centres ( ICs), through which they are able to provide actual services at farmer household level.

OVERALL OBJECTIVE

“To strengthen the smallholder cotton farmers in the country so as to provide a platform for them to participate more effectively in the operations and future development of the cotton industry in Zambia.”


FOCUS AREAS

Cotton grows well in eastern, central and southern provinces of Zambia is in ecological zones I and II where it has done very well over the years due to suitability of the climate and soils. The major cotton out grower promoters have engaged a large number of smallholder cotton farmers in these areas.

APPROACH

The outputs and activities described above are designed to contribute to the overcoming of key constraints affecting the cotton sub-sector. These include the reduction of the high cost of providing extension services, increased adoption rates of appropriate farming technologies such as conservation farming, increased yields and overall production. Improved access to markets and more importantly, the provision of a “unified voice” for Zambian cotton farmers to have an input in the development of the cotton sector in Zambia.

ORGANISATION OF THE COTTON ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA

The Cotton Association of Zambia is an affiliate of the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) and operates within the established structures of the Union through the District Farmers Associations and Information Centres in all the key cotton producing areas of the eastern, central and southern provinces of Zambia.

THE COUNCIL

The Council is the Policy formulation body of the Association and is composed of the Executive Committee members, District Cotton Representatives and representatives from Area Associations where the DFA offices do not exist.

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee consists of members of Council namely the Chairman, and not more than four other Council Member elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Council each year. The Vice Chairman is elected by the Executive Committee at its first meeting after the Annual General Meeting.

The Executive Committee functions as the Board of Directors of the Association and supervises the day to day management of the affairs of the Association on behalf of the Council.

VISION

The vision of the Cotton Association of Zambia is to see a prosperous and equitable cotton sector where all the players are winners.

MISSION

The mission of CAZ is to promote an environmentally friendly, financially viable and sustainable sub sector that contributes to employment creation and poverty reduction. This will be done by assuring improved services to farmers as well as by securing commercial interests at policy level and in the complicated cotton commodity chain.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of CAZ is to have an effective demand driven cotton association that will provide a platform for cotton farmers to effectively participate in the issues affecting the cotton sub sector. This will result in improved services as well as securing the common interest of growers, outgrower promoters, ginners and policy makers.

VALUES

The organisation is based on grass root membership and democratic structures (DFA representatives). The organisation is non-partisan, professionally managed and is oriented towards practical results for the farmers in lobbying and service delivery. CAZ espouses gender equality and promotes the awareness and mitigation measures of HIV/Aids among its membership and farmers in the sub sector.