Estudo de alguns constrangimentos que afectam o desempenho das associações de produtores de algodão em Monapo e Meconta, província de Nampula

Abstract

Cotton is a very rewarding cash crop for farmers as long as the plant is cultivated in favorable environments and with good cultural technique. Culture requires technical management at the farm level that includes the use of inputs. The family sector is currently the largest producer of cotton since the concessionary companies abandoned direct cultivation in their fields. Some producers organized themselves into associations to better defend their interests. Associations play an important role in the production and marketing of cotton. But they face the problem of lack of strong technical assistance, lack of timely information about seedcotton prices, lack of agricultural tools and delays in the supply of insecticides, which contribute to low agronomic yields. The present work is the result of a study carried out in the districts of meconta and monapo in the province of nampula in the 2001/2002 campaign to investigate the causes of the low income of cotton producer associations in the two districts. The results of the study indicate that there are statistically significant differences between associated and non-associated producers with regard to technical assistance. Thus, producers who received technical assistance had higher incomes than those who did not. Solving the problem of low agronomic income obtained by peasants requires the adoption of policies that lead to improved access to credit, fertilizers and improved seeds. On the other hand, the lack of technical assistance can be resolved with the introduction of a legal framework aimed at the emergence of technical assistance institutions and providers to study some constraints that affect the performance of cotton producer associations in monapo and meconta, Nampula province