ASHENEWS reports that the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari says that the federal government will partner with the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) and other stakeholders to revive the country’s cotton sub-sector in Nigeria.
Kyari stated this during a meeting with the Executive Director, ICAC, Eric Trachtenberg, and other relevant stakeholders at the Ministry’s conference room, in Abuja.
The minister noted that the partnership will not only boost production of cotton in Nigeria but also create jobs, and enhance Nigeria’s export opportunities.
Kyari projected that Nigeria’s cotton ecosystem would create over 1.4 million jobs annually, in line with the industrialization policy of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He added that the focus would be to develop key components of its value chain comprising farming, weaving, ginning, and linking, among others.
The Minister who expressed optimism that the sub-sector would be revived for sustainable economic growth and national development with the technical expertise from ICAC said “The challenges in the sector which discouraged farmers from cotton production to other crops would be looked into and be addressed for optimum productivity in the cotton ecosystem.”
On his part, the Executive Director, of ICAC, Eric Trachtenberg stated that the organization would support Nigeria’s cotton value chain by offering expert advice aimed at improving productivity, boosting the value chain and investment facilitation.
He outlined the possible areas of collaboration to include training of farmers, extension service workers, deployment of technologies, and innovative solutions, among others.
