KENYA: New Cotton Variety Set to Raise Output
Cotton farming is on its way to full recovery following the introduction of a new variety of the cash crop. The Government and other players in the industry have also put in place new policies and marketing strategies to speed up the revival of the once profitable sector. The introduction of the new variety has…
Egytex News Desk
Egytex
A crops officer with the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Joseph Kiruthi on Sunday said the new variety has the potential to produce up to 2,500 kilograms of cotton under rain farming and up to 5,000 kilograms under irrigation farming per hectare.
This is far above the 200 kilograms harvested by farmers in the year 2005/2006. “The communities living in dry areas have had no other cash crop like those in other areas who grow coffee and tea. This variety will then go a long way in boosting the farmers’ income, due to the fact that farmers in dry areas have bigger portions of land,” Mr Musavi said.
The Cotton Development Authority has also embarked on new strategies to restore growers’ confidence. The Authority will determine the price as dictated by the world market. It will also license buyers who must adhere to the Cotton Act, and licensed buyers will have the right to buy cotton from any part of the country, a move aimed at encouraging fair prices.
The authority will also set market days and buying centers and it has already employed inspectors who will monitor the buyers and visit farms to ensure quality and good farming practice. Farmers will be protected from dishonest traders by ensuring that they are paid cash after they deliver their produce unlike in the past when the buyers paid at will.
Source: Nationmedia.com
From the Egytex news archive, first published on 23 June 2008. Figures and names are as reported at the time.
