Kenya seeks to revive cotton industry

Kenya's troubled cotton farming is set for a major revival following a partnership with stakeholders in the industry, a senior government official said on Sunday.

The Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Blue Economy Willy Bett said plans are underway to revive the once vibrant industry.

"We have embarked in enhancing strong relationship with key stakeholders such as the farmers, input suppliers, market agents, ginners, spinners and textile millers, in order to boost self-regulation and also promote not only production but also value and consumption of cotton," Bett said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

Cotton production in Kenya currently stands at 4,000 metric tons of lint while the spinning capacity demand is about 10,000 metric tons of lint.

Currently, the country imports more than 50 percent of the lint requirements from the neighboring countries, putting pressure on the demand for foreign exchange.

Bett said initiatives have been put in place to enable smallholder farmers venture into the farming of cotton and help revive the troubled sector.

Cotton is a crop that is mainly grown in Western, Coastal and Central Kenya and has been the sole income earners for most families since its collapse in the late 1980s.

He noted that the government is aware of the opportunities and challenges that face the cotton sector and are keen to mobilize various resources to ensure that opportunities in the cotton-textile value chains are enhanced.

To achieve the goal, the government will have to train farmers, provide them with farming inputs such as equipment, seed and chemicals, and making credit readily available.

The government must protect co-operative and communal interests; secure market access offering predictable and profitable off-take. Bett called on investors to make a contribution toward the growth of the sector. Endit