Zambia has had a significant increase in cotton production in the 2014-15 agricultural season. Seed cotton production rose from 95,000 metric tons in the 2013-14 farming season to 1,15,000 metric tons in the 2014-15 season.

The increase in cotton production is attributed to continued private sector-led input and market service delivery by ginning companies. Ginning companies spent in excess of $16 million in input provision to cotton farmers and were able to recover an average of 80 per cent input loans at marketing from the farmers.

The improved rate of input loan recovery from an average of 65 per cent in the previous season to 80 per cent was due to both adherence to the code of conduct that the ginners had signed prior to commencement of the 2014-15 marketing season and the strict monitoring and implementation of the cotton act by the cotton board of Zambia.

Farmers sold cotton only to ginners that pre-financed them with inputs. Apart from promoting cotton production, most ginning companies have extended their production and marketing support to maize and soya beans in an effort to improve not only cash earning crops among small-holder farmers, but also to enhance food security.