Many farmers of Malawi feel that the Government needs to move in swiftly or else they will stop growing cotton crop and concentrate on other profitable activities, as cotton prices are very low.
Agriculture is the main industry of Malawi's economy and the pricing problem had already swallowed the tobacco industry and now is sure to engulf its strategic crop, cotton.
Cotton buyers appear to have formed their own cartel to fix prices whereas the farmers are a dejected lot.
Governments low pricing are a challenge to the target of doubling production capacity over the next few years.
Malawi Growth Development Strategy (MGDS) has earmarked cotton as one of the potential crops that can contribute to economic growth.
The poor cotton prices on the local scene come against the background of a gaping market for Malawian cotton in Namibia.
Namibia look for 500,000 metric tones of cotton almost 10 times the national production capacity at double the local prices.
Cotton prices were expected to pick up this year after the United States government announced plans to remove 100 percent export subsidy on cotton in December last year.
This move was expected to benefit Malawi as one of the commodity's exporters to US.
Cotton sales were marred by incidences of smuggling as farmers felt prices offered by local buyers were too low compared to the ones buyers across the boarders were offering.
In Mozambique and Zambia, cotton was priced at K35 per kilogram while the local market involved an average of K25 per kilogram.
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