Mozambique plans to stop importing cotton seed and by 2014 expects to produce half of the 4 800-tonnes it imports each year, said Norberto Mahalambe, the national director of Mozambique’s Cotton Institute (IAM).
Speaking to Portuguese news agency Lusa during the annual technical meeting of IAM, Mahalambe also said that around one third of the cotton seed needs for next year would be covered by this year’s production.
The IAM national director said a company was being set up to process seed in the Mocuba district of Zambézia province and added that other producers in the Zambezi Valley would be involved in cotton seed production.
“A single company (Movitex) will not have the capacity to meet market demand and so other producers will be involved in production of quality seed,” said Mahalambe.
Cotton production in Mozambique, by season, is estimated at between 60 000-t and 70 000-t from the 130 000-hectares of land used to grow the crop, and the current season is expected to produce 85 000-t.
Mozambique has practically no weaving industry, which means it has to export all of the cotton it produces, basically to Asia and some countries in Africa and Europe.
