Arewa Cotton, Nigeria’s leading cotton farming, ginning and farming firm has begun free distribution of cotton seeds to farmers in the South-west and Edo state.
This is part of efforts to key into the federal government’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda on cotton production and development of cotton value chain.
The free distribution of millions cotton seeds to thousands of cotton farmers in all South-west states, including Edo, according to Adebayo Olayemi, South West regional manager of Arewa Cotton, was put together to support the federal government’s Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES), especially on cotton production in the country.
Speaking at flag-off of Cotton Production and Cotton Value Chain Development in South-west for 2014/2015 Cotton Farming Season held at Eweje Farm Institute, Odeda in Ogun state, Olayemi disclosed that “Arewa Cotton distributes high-quality cotton seeds annually, to farmers in conjunction with the federal government and concerned state governments.”
The South-west regional manager, Arewa Cotton, who commended the federal government and South-west states and Edo government for subsidising farming inputs, including seeds, fertiliser, insecticide among other tools ranging from 50 percent to 90 percent subsidies, noted that the firm embarked on the scheme to increase cotton production and value chain development.
He explained that apart from increased production, which is targeted at reviving moribund textile mills industries depending on cotton outputs for production that would bring high foreign exchange in return, the entire value chain development of cotton would create jobs and have multiplier effect on other sectors such as livestock, poultry, pharmaceuticals, among others.
He, however, lamented inadequate cotton production in the country and losses recorded as a result of contamination by foreign mater during cotton processing, which he said, reduces monetary value of Nigerian cotton among its peers, noting that the intervention provided by the federal government on cotton as supervised by Arewa Cotton would provide effective solutions.
“The project for the prevention of cotton contamination in West Africa has made the current Administration of Goodluck Jonathan focus on the findings of a Fast Track Project in Cotton-producing regions to identify alarming levels of contamination in seed cotton and lint as well as potentials for substantial reduction of contamination (up to 75%) through appropriate information and training programme,” he said.
