The government of Kenya has announced revival of cotton industry in the Western region. Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) confirmed the report and said that a revival strategy has already been put in place to see the industry active again.
Constructing a Sh 700million cotton ginnery and oil press factory is one of the strategies .The project which is 60% complete involves installation of cotton ginning machine with a capacity to process up to 3,780 tonnes of cotton per year.
Kenya’s cotton industry
The revival strategy will also involve training farmers on new techniques of cotton production to boost their yield and income. In addition, LBDA is making efforts to revive defunct cotton ginneries in Nyakach and Seme sub-counties. Three grinners will also be set up in Kisumu and Homabay Counties. Meanwhile, the Rift Valley Textile (Rivatex) has set up a factory at Boya in Nyando Sub County and targets to create employment opportunities for over 500 people.
Kenya’s cotton industry has been in the doldrums for over decades, as prices for the crop slumped in the face of a market that became flooded by cheap Asian clothing and secondhand clothes from the West.
After the Kenyan government lifted the ban on cotton seeds imports last year, Kisumu County has received 12 tonnes of cotton seeds, 140 kg of biotechnology (BT) high breed seeds, and 480 kg of high breed seeds. These cotton seeds have been distributed through cotton cooperative societies in Nyanza province.
