Nigeria has set a target to produce up to 450,000 metric tonnes of cotton in three years as part of efforts to revive the domestic textile and garment industry, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria, whose governor Godwin Emefiele recently said around 300,000 farmers will be engaged to achieve this in 26 out of the 36 States in the country.
To revive the sector, the bank had supervised the cultivation of 200,000 hectares of hybrid cotton distributed to 200,000 farmers across the country, according to a news agency report. The bank said it also spearheaded the import of improved cottonseed, adding that 6,000 metric tonne were imported while additional 2,000 metric tonne of cotton seeds were sourced locally. The total expected yield at the end of the current season is 302,440 metric tonne.
