In a remarkable demonstration of resilience and unity, the various players in Mozambique's cotton production sphere have managed to reach an agreement on the base price to be paid for raw cotton, in the imminent marketing phase that is approaching.

The negotiations took place the day before in the capital, Maputo, and were conducted under the steady, enlightened guidance of the Minister of Agriculture, Celso Correia. The outcome? A harmonious agreement: cotton producers and the companies that buy this valuable product agreed to maintain the price applied the previous year.

The agreed price was thirty-three meticais per kilogram of cotton, which is equivalent to approximately fifty-two US cents. The Mozambican Cotton Association (AAM), representing the interests of the companies, had hoped for a reduction to twenty-seven meticais per kilogram.

However, at the culmination of these important discussions, Minister Correia firmly announced that the minimum amount to be paid out to the worthy cotton farmers would remain unchanged. "Maintaining the price of raw cotton is the strategy the Government has found to encourage domestic production and safeguard producers' incomes", the minister said with conviction.

In tune with this sentiment, the president of the National Forum of Cotton Producers (FONPA), Benison Simoco, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the negotiations. He saw in this agreement a valuable instrument for encouraging farmers to raise their output and foster greater accumulation of savings.