Govt urges Indians to invest in cotton sectors

27 Apr '07

1 min read

Government has revealed that talks are being held with the Indian Administration so as to attract more investors to set up cotton manufacturing units in Uganda.

As a measure to revive domestic cotton industry, Uganda is also considering imposing a ban on raw cotton exports.

Agriculture Minister Hilary Onek explained, “We hope to revamp our cotton sectors when Indian firms accept to come here. We can even ban exports to provide ready markets for our people especially the cotton farmers across the country. We want to expedite the process and our people must benefit from their sweat."

Once the local cotton markets grow, this ban would also help government to fulfill the demand through domestic produce.

Local utilization of fibre in Uganda accounts for around 5 percent of total production, with the main challenge being the import of cheaper second-hand clothes.

Statistics prove that textiles have attracted least investments from abroad during the past two decades.

Some experts fear that banning exports would cut down the limited income of domestic traders and lead to illegal export of cotton.

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