Tanzania: cotton production up 37.4%
Tanzania’s cotton production was recorded at 224 million kilograms in the last harvest season, signalling a major increase in the crop yield compared to previous years.
Speaking in Arusha, the director general of Tanzania Coffee Board, Mr Marko Mtunga, said the last season’s cotton harvest stood at 224 million kilograms (or 987,000 bales) which was an increase of 37.4% from the 163 million kilograms (or 718,6954 bales) that were produced in the previous year.
“Local farmers were inspired by good market prices of cotton despite constant fluctuation as well as the boost from better and readily available farm inputs aided by the new national Agriculture Promoting initiative, ‘Kilimo Kwanza!’,” said Mr Mtunga.
Tanzania’s biggest rival as far as the cotton growing in Africa is concerned is Zimbabwe which produces an average of 265 million kilograms per season. The two countries have been competing against each in delivering the exports to international markets.
“70% of cotton grown in the country is exported while local industries use the remaining 30%,” said Mr Mtunga adding that the presence of the Regional Cotton Technical Centre (RCTC) cotton testing laboratories at the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) in Dar-es-Salaam has helped in the proper grading of the crop bales.
Ambassador Ali Mchumo, the managing director for Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), said the CFC in association with the European Union had established the Regional Cotton Testing Centre in Dar-es-Salaam to cater for nine countries within the Eastern and Southern African region.
“There are only two such centres on the continent, the Dar es Salaam one built at $7 million, to cater for Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Zambia, Sudan, Mozambique and Ethiopia with the second one based in Mali, which serves the Central and West African region,” said Mr Mchumo.
Mr Mchurno said the centres have helped African cotton exporters to identify and grade their consignments effectively and meet the international market requirements.
