Rejuvenating Nigeria's ailing textile industry

Alhaji Sani Muhammad, the administrative secretary of a textile mill in Zamfara, requested the government to provide quality cotton seeds, since farmers who produced cotton for the mills have now switched to other crops due to the collapse of the sector.

Muhammad further requested the government to ban import of foreign fabrics. The import of textile materials had led to the collapse of the nation's textile sector and if the import of textile goods were not stopped, surviving local mills would be operating at a loss, he said.

Welcoming government's plan to improve power and fuel supply, he requested the government to support farmers in order to produce quality fabrics which would compete with the foreign players.

The chairman of Ginners Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Sani Dahiru, blamed the negligence of the agricultural sector for poor cotton production and collapse of the textile industries. He advised the government to provide trained agricultural extension workers to assist the cotton farmers to meet the needs of the surviving mills.

The director, federal ministry of agriculture in the state, Alhaji Musa Raji, said that the ministry is ready to supply improved seeds and fertilisers to the farmers, and would also offer professional advice to them. On a similar note, the state commissioner for information, Alhaji Umar Jibo, said that the government would provide ready markets to the cotton farmers and other stakeholders. (NA)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India