In Nembudziya, about 72 kilometres from Gokwe’s business centre, the hum of machinery marks a quiet shift in Zimbabwe’s cotton story. At a processing plant run by Cangrow Cotton Company (CCC), thousands of tiny brown cottonseeds are crushed, pressed and refined into golden cooking oil. The leftover material is turned into livestock feed and other by-products, leaving almost nothing to waste.
For years, cottonseed was treated as a minor by-product of lint production, often sold as a raw commodity with little local benefit. That model is changing as companies and government invest in beneficiation, aiming to keep more of the crop’s value inside rural communities.
“Cottonseed is no longer a waste product. It has become an important raw material for cooking oil production, proving that every part of the cotton crop has value,” said CCC regional manager Khumbulani Moyo. “Through beneficiation, we are ensuring that what was once overlooked now contributes to the country’s food industry and the broader economy.”
Local farmers welcome the new market but insist the benefits must reach those who grow the crop. Tina Murabinda, a small-scale cotton farmer in Gokwe South, said value addition can boost foreign currency earnings and encourage more people to continue farming cotton. However, Marry Chisvo, another grower, argued that farmers are paid only for delivered seed cotton, while processors capture most of the value from oil, stock feed and soap.
“We are only paid for the crop we deliver. After that, the seed is processed into cooking oil, stock feed, soap and other products, but farmers do not receive anything from those by-products,” Chisvo said. “The biggest share of the value comes after the cotton leaves our hands, yet we are only paid a relatively small amount for the crop itself.”
The government and the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) are responding with a US$1.5 million oil-expression plant in Gokwe. The facility is designed to process 60 metric tonnes of cottonseed daily, producing cooking oil commercially and turning residue into livestock feed and industrial products. Gokwe was chosen because it handles the country’s largest volume of seed cotton and has the workforce to support the operation.
Production figures are rebounding. By mid-June 2026, farmers had marketed more than 5.08 million kilogrammes of seed cotton, compared with 310,625 kilogrammes during the same period in 2025. The Agricultural Marketing Authority projects production of 38,500 tonnes this season, up 33% from about 29,000 tonnes last year.
Local leaders see processing as a path to broader rural development. Councillor Enock Chevedza said value addition would help farmers realise the true value of their crop through products such as cooking oil, soap, fertilisers and animal feed. “Cotton has educated generations of young people in this district. Many graduates, businesses and even the rapid growth of townships owe their existence to the cotton industry,” he said.
Ernest Chigaba, national vice-chairperson of the Cotton Producers and Marketers Association of Zimbabwe, said keeping processing in Gokwe would create employment and reduce transport costs. “We need oil-expressing machines here in Gokwe so that we can process the seed locally, create employment and reduce transport costs,” he said.
As Zimbabwe’s cotton industry recovers, the small brown seed once left behind is becoming the starting point for cooking oil, livestock feed and soap. The challenge is ensuring that transformation delivers greater rewards to the farmers who first planted the crop.
