Sinister
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 18, 2013
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The Lake Basin Development Authority, (LBDA) has announced plans to revive cotton industry in West Kenya through construction of a cotton ginnery and oil press factory in Kisumu County.
LBDA MD Dr. Raymond Omollo made the announcement and said the move comes amid Kisumu County renewed plans to revive cotton farming and marketing to entice farmers who had abandoned the crop following the collapse of ginneries in Nyanza, decades ago.
Collapse of ginneries
“Cotton farming used to be one of the most thriving historical industrial crops in the dry areas of Kisumu, Homabay, and Migori counties and was one of the main foreign exchange-earners. But, with the collapse of several cotton ginneries in Nyanza and Western in the 1980s due to some reasons, thousands of cotton growers abandoned the crop for other cereals. Kenya’s garment and textile industry is a pale shadow of its former self following closures which have caused massive job losses over the years,” said Dr. Omollo.
Dr.Omollo also noted the collapse of cotton was attributed to lack of enough raw materials, and cotton processing factories which led to the collapse of ginneries, which LBDA is now keen on reviving
The industry is being built on a 2.5 acre public land plot at the Jua Kali area along Kisumu Nairobi highway at a cost of Sh 700m. The project will involve the acquisition and installation of a cotton ginning machine with a capacity to process up to 3,780 tonnes of cotton per year.
In addition, the authority is also reviving defunct cotton ginneries in Nyakach and Seme sub-counties and distributed several cotton seeds through cotton cooperative societies in Seme, Kobura, Nyando, Muhoroni, and Nyakach in a fresh bid to woe more farmers to invest in cotton farming.
Kisumu County has currently received 12 tonnes of cotton seeds, 140 kilos of biotechnology (BT) high breed seeds, and 480 kilos of high breed seeds after the ban on cotton seeds imports was lifted last year.
LBDA MD Dr. Raymond Omollo made the announcement and said the move comes amid Kisumu County renewed plans to revive cotton farming and marketing to entice farmers who had abandoned the crop following the collapse of ginneries in Nyanza, decades ago.
Collapse of ginneries
“Cotton farming used to be one of the most thriving historical industrial crops in the dry areas of Kisumu, Homabay, and Migori counties and was one of the main foreign exchange-earners. But, with the collapse of several cotton ginneries in Nyanza and Western in the 1980s due to some reasons, thousands of cotton growers abandoned the crop for other cereals. Kenya’s garment and textile industry is a pale shadow of its former self following closures which have caused massive job losses over the years,” said Dr. Omollo.
Dr.Omollo also noted the collapse of cotton was attributed to lack of enough raw materials, and cotton processing factories which led to the collapse of ginneries, which LBDA is now keen on reviving
The industry is being built on a 2.5 acre public land plot at the Jua Kali area along Kisumu Nairobi highway at a cost of Sh 700m. The project will involve the acquisition and installation of a cotton ginning machine with a capacity to process up to 3,780 tonnes of cotton per year.
In addition, the authority is also reviving defunct cotton ginneries in Nyakach and Seme sub-counties and distributed several cotton seeds through cotton cooperative societies in Seme, Kobura, Nyando, Muhoroni, and Nyakach in a fresh bid to woe more farmers to invest in cotton farming.
Kisumu County has currently received 12 tonnes of cotton seeds, 140 kilos of biotechnology (BT) high breed seeds, and 480 kilos of high breed seeds after the ban on cotton seeds imports was lifted last year.