According to the “Daily Times”, Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture predicts that the country’s cotton planting area in 2009 will exceed the record high of 88,535 hectares set in 2005, and cotton production will also hit a record high.
The cotton industry has always been considered one of the most promising industries in Malawi’s economy. If Malawi achieves a bumper cotton harvest in 2009, it will make the theme of vigorously developing cotton planting and processing industries in Malawi’s “Malawi Growth and Development Strategy” (MGDS) a reality. This theme aims to develop Malawi’s garment processing industry by increasing cotton production, replacing the import of chemical fiber fabrics, and making full use of the preferential trade conditions provided by the United States’ African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to stimulate garment exports.
Malawi’s cotton output has increased year by year since 2006, reaching 56,563 tons in 2006, 62,233 tons in 2007, and 76,761 tons in 2008. As cotton prices have risen steadily in recent years, farmers are encouraged to grow cotton, keeping cotton output and planting area at a stable level. But at the same time, cotton farmers also hope that the government can introduce policies to set minimum purchase prices similar to those for tobacco to protect cotton farmers’ income.
