Nicaragua to harvest first organic cotton crop

11 Jan '12

2 min read

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAGFOR) recently announced that Nicaragua's first 24 million quintals of cotton are soon to be cropped, after approximately six months of sowing, marking a successful launch to the country's cotton reactivation project.

Ariel Bucardo, Minister of MAGFOR, has indicated that the 1,600 blocks harvested mainly in the northern regions of the country are in excellent condition, and should produce yields between 40 and 45 quintals per block, leading to approximately 64,000 quintals in total.

“Historically, this product has generated a lot of manpower, which is why we began the experiment moderately and expect that if the results are good, as we are currently witnessing, we will gradually increase cotton production”, Bucardo affirmed.

Moreover, Bucardo claims that the country's production of cotton is ample enough to supply an international demand and that considering the crop's promising market price, especially for organic cotton that is being harvested in Nicaragua, this will prove a lucrative business.

Companies in Honduras and El Salvador have already demonstrated interest in purchasing cotton from Nicaragua. Additionally, development is expected to attract new foreign investment projects to Nicaragua in the textile sector, as well as facilitate the re-opening of certain companies in Nicaragua such as Cone Denim.

The project, led by the Government of Nicaragua along with PRONicaragua, the official investment promotion agency of Nicaragua and the National Association of Textiles and Apparel (ANITEC, for its acronym in Spanish), was planned out in two phases. During the first phase, 14 private producers engaged in a pilot program to observe the performance of the crop, the resistance of the seed and determine the type of seeds fit for this project, among other factors. The project's second phase includes the increase of production area during a period from five to seven years, in order to begin supplying raw material to textile and apparel companies operating in the country, thus lowering the costs of garment production.

PRONicaragua is the Nicaraguan Investment Promotion Agency, established in 2002. It is a non-profit, public-private institution whose mission is to generate economic growth and job creation in Nicaragua by attracting high-quality foreign direct investment. The agency provides complimentary support services to qualified investors seeking investment opportunities in our country.

Nicaraguan Investment Promotion Agency - PRONicaragua

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