Poor cotton seeds stunting revival of textile industry, research

Ronny Kibet a Cotton farmer picking ready cotton at his farm in Koitilial village in Aror ward,Elgeyo Marakwet County on February 2,2022. [Christopher Kipsang,Standard]

Improving the quality of cotton seed has been fronted as one of the ways the country can revitalise the struggling textile industry.

The Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (Kippra) also recommends the incorporation of cotton development programmes into counties' integrated development plans.

This, Kippra says, will ensure cotton farming is well sourced.

In a publication discussing the status of the second-hand economy in the country, textiles among them, Kippra notes how the high potential of this industry in Kenya is hiccupped by the undersupply of cotton.

As such, the country has become dependent on imports of second-hand clothes with 183,830 tons being shipped in 2021.

Data shared by Kippra in the publication titled Rejuvenating Local Manufacturing in the Context of Secondhand Economy, Kippra says that cotton growing in the country is done by small-scale farmers on land averaging one hectare (per farmer) and is mostly intercropped with other food crops.

It notes that there are about 40,000 small-scale cotton farmers today as compared to 200,000 in the mid-1980s.

"The estimated annual consumption of cotton by the textile mills is estimated at 8,000MT (41,200 bales), and the ideal demand to meet national requirements is 26,000MT (140,000 bales)," says Kippra. "These statistics show that the high potential of the textile industry is curtailed by undersupply of cotton raw materials."

Major reasons for the undersupply, it adds, are the constraints faced by cotton farmers, including the decline in seed cotton production, low quality of cotton seeds leading to declining yields, and relatively high costs of production due to low productivity.

The popularity of polyester, which is more durable and less expensive to produce than cotton, and the importation of second-hand clothes are also to blame.

"To ensure quality cotton seed, it is necessary to improve cotton seed research and development by ensuring that the Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization(Kalro) is adequately funded for this purpose," says Kippra.

Kippra also wants local textile clothing industries, and cotton-growing counties to incorporate development programmes for the crop into their County Integrated Development Plans (CIDP).

"The textile industry is also facing increased business costs such as high electricity costs, which are eroding their market competitiveness," Kippra notes.

The publication documents that Kenya has 52 textile mills that convert (cotton) fibre into yarn, but only 15 are operational.

"Due to low labour productivity and low technology, operating textile mills use only 45 per cent of their capacity," Kippra says.