Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (Admarc) says it has started exporting cotton to the international market and already has offers from buyers in Europe and South America.
In an interview on the sidelines of cotton lint exportation to Switzerland from Ngabu in Chikwawa yesterday, Admarc Ngabu Ginnery division manager Lovemore Mwantisi said besides Switzerland, the State producer trader also received offers from Brazil, France and other European countries.
He said this year, Admarc is expected to export about 566 570 metric tonnes (MT) of cotton lint.
Said Mwantisi: “In the first consignment last year we exported 443 113MT of wool lint and currently we are exporting 123 457MT to Switzerland. So in total the exports have generated about $800 000 in foreign exchange earnings [equivalent to about K1.4 billion].
“I can assure you that the demand is very huge, and as a country, we are not even meeting that demand.”
He noted that disasters such as cyclones and dry spells, which hit some parts of the country in the past agricultural seasons, contributed to low cotton production.
“Besides disasters, farmers seem not to be interested in cotton farming. We need to empower these farmers to revive cotton farming because, the market is already there,” explained Mwantisi.
According to Admarc spokesperson Theresa Chapulapula, on average, a Swiss buyer is offering $1.50 (about K2 626) per kilogramme (kg).
Yesterday, the commodity was loaded in trucks from Ngabu to South Africa where it will finally be loaded in containers to Switzerland.
Farmers Union of Malawi chief executive officer Jacob Nyirongo noted that farmers are interested in growing cotton and it has been one of the key cash crops for farmers in the Shire Valley and along the lakeshore districts such as Salima and Karonga.
However, he said the cost of inputs such as seed and unstructured marketing has undermined farmers’ investment in the cotton sector.
Said Nyirongo: “Government should, therefore, make deliberate efforts to develop seed systems for the cotton industry.
“As a short-term measure, Admarc should consider engaging cotton farmers in contract farming arrangements so that it should be supporting them with cotton seed and other critical inputs.”
In 2018, Admarc partnered with Nchalo Smallholder Cane Growers Association through Green Belt Initiative to embark on cotton production.
