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Three cotton purchasers and processors have teamed up to form an association in order to bolster cotton business in the country.
The three companies are Great Lakes Cotton Company, National Smallholder Farmers’ Association and Clark Cotton Milling Company.
Great Lakes managing director Corin Jones said in an interview, the association, to be called Cotton Development Association (CDA), aims at addressing farmers’ complaints over poor sales through low prices.
“Smallholder cotton farmers always complain of lower prices and unfaithful buyers,” said Jones, whose company bought around 40 percent of all cotton produces by smallholder farmers last season.
He said cotton, which “can replace tobacco” has great profit potential and does very well in parts of the country where tobacco does badly.
Said Jones: “Individual efforts by different cotton buyers do not promote the crop and that is why the association, which is in its final registration stages, is being formed to gain a synergical advantage in the promotion of cotton production in the country.”
According to Jones, the association will start a farmers’ registration campaign in all the cotton-growing areas of the country in order to identify farmers who will benefit from the association’s input and financial loans in terms of cotton seeds, chemicals and pesticides.
General Manager for Nascommex — a commercial subsidiary of National Smallholder Farmers’ Association of Malawi — Heshan Peiris said in a telephone interview poor production and promotion for the crop affects the cotton industry.
“Malawi used to market a lot of cotton in the past. This association will bring back the good promotion and production levels of cotton, which have gone down over the years,” said Peiris.
He said cotton has great potential if farmers’ problems of lack of capital for inputs and pesticides were properly addressed.
Clark Cotton Assistant General Manager Amos Chipungu could not be reached for comment, but a source from his office confirmed the news.
Clark Cotton, which operates in a number of African countries, signed a memorandum of understanding in the country to enter into a joint venture with established cotton processors at the beginning of 2002.
The CDA is expected to begin its operations when rains fall since that is when the new cotton season begins with planting.
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