Cotton sector revival underway - minister

The government says efforts are underway to address the long standing challenges of the cotton sector and from the current docile state to higher prices and production.


Announcing initiatives undertaken yesterday in the Parliament, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Marketing, Godfrey Zambi said efforts are directed to increase and improve quality of seeds, establish contract farming and avail farming inputs to farmers.

This update was prompted by a question posed by Suleiman Nchambi, Kishapu Legislator (CCM) who wanted to know measures taken by the government to revive cotton production in the country.

Deputy Minister Zambi admitted that the cotton sector has been surrounded by various challenges that have led to a decline in production. He cited poor quality of seeds, lack of extension services, inadequacy of processing factories, shortage of insecticides and changing of prices at the world market.

To meet these challenges, he announced that the government is implementing a local industry development strategy aimed at improving the processing sector and that way revive among others, the cotton sector.

“The government has established the textile industry development department to train entrepreneurs within the sector,” he said.

In the last decade, Tanzania has been faced with low productivity, poor cotton quality and low level of mechanisation that has resulted in demoralisation of cotton farmers.

However in 2010 Tanzanian cotton industry stakeholders resolved to embark on contract farming as to rescue the industry that was on the brink of collapse and two years ago, contract farming was passed to be implemented throughout the country’s Western Cotton Growing Area (WCGA).

Stakeholders believed that contract farming guaranteed farmers inputs, market and stable prices since contract farming demands ginners to pay upfront upon delivery.

In the year 2011/2012 about 62 per cent of estimated 500,000 growers signed contracts with ginners through 5,565 farmer business groups with estimated 311,000 growers who received inputs on credit.

According to the Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB) Acting Director General, Gabriel Mwalo there is a lot of untapped potential in contract farming but lack of stringent regulation coupled with lack of adequate support from the government deters investors from pouring much needed cash into the system.

“It is high time for the government to looks into problems affecting contract farming with emphasis on cotton rather than dilly dallying on the  implementation of government policy,” he said urging the government to create an enabling environment that ensures the development and sustainability of the farmer and contract farming at large.

Currently, Tanzania is Africa’s fourth-largest producer of cotton after Mali, Burkina Faso and Egypt, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) figures.