Ethiopia Expected to Become a Regional Leader in Cotton Production

Ethiopia boasts significant potential in cotton production and the textile industry, positioning the country to emerge as a regional leader in the sector.

Newstimehub

Newstimehub

13 Dec, 2024

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Ethiopia boasts significant potential in cotton production and the textile industry, positioning the country to emerge as a regional leader in the sector.

A two-day regional workshop held in Addis Ababa focused on fostering inclusive dialogue and exploring opportunities for the sustainable transformation of Ethiopia’s cotton and textile sectors.

Ethiopian State Minister of Agriculture, Meles Mekonnen, emphasized the importance of leveraging the cotton and textile sectors to promote sustainable economic growth. He highlighted the country’s vast land and water resources, favorable agricultural climate, and productive workforce, which together present untapped potential for cotton production. Mekonnen noted that Ethiopia has the capacity to cultivate over 3 million hectares of land and produce more than 3 million tons of cotton annually.

The minister underscored the Ethiopian government’s efforts to enhance cotton production and productivity through various measures aimed at providing industrial inputs, fostering structural transformation, generating foreign exchange, and creating significant employment opportunities.

Hassen Mohammed, Ethiopia’s State Minister of Industry, underlined the strategic importance of cotton as a cash crop, contributing to job creation, foreign exchange earnings, poverty reduction, and industrialization. However, he acknowledged challenges in the cotton and textile sectors, including productivity, quality, global price volatility, limited access to financing, and intense competition.

President of the Eastern and Southern Africa Cotton Organization, Driana Lwanda, highlighted Ethiopia’s potential to become a regional leader in cotton production. Nevertheless, she noted the need to overcome hurdles such as low market prices and high processing costs. Lwanda stated that if these challenges are effectively addressed, Ethiopia can fully realize its potential in the cotton and textile sectors.