Zimbabwe has launched biometric registration for cotton farmers to eliminate side marketing after Deputy Minister Vangelis Haritatos ordered the Agricultural Marketing Authority to act as an active regulator rather than a passive observer. The system uses fingerprint verification at three stages: registration, input distribution, and sale, and it prevents farmers from contracting with multiple merchants. AMA acting chief executive Jonathan Mukuruba said registration clerks will deploy nationwide from Oct. 15, and input distribution will begin around Oct. 22.
The digital platform blocks duplicate registrations, and it assigns each farmer a unique GPS-based identifier. Cangrow, Southern Cotton, Alliance Ginneries, and Cotton Company of Zimbabwe have registered for the 2025-26 season. New Health 263 business development officer Tinashe Mucherera said the system transforms the industry from fragmented operations into a secure framework that protects investor capital, and it calculates input allocations automatically while preventing unauthorized cotton purchases.
The digital platform blocks duplicate registrations, and it assigns each farmer a unique GPS-based identifier. Cangrow, Southern Cotton, Alliance Ginneries, and Cotton Company of Zimbabwe have registered for the 2025-26 season. New Health 263 business development officer Tinashe Mucherera said the system transforms the industry from fragmented operations into a secure framework that protects investor capital, and it calculates input allocations automatically while preventing unauthorized cotton purchases.
