The board is now working with Agricultural Research Institutes (ARI) to research more regions where the “white gold” can be potentially grown.
TCB's Director General (DG), Marco Mtunga told The Guardian during an exclusive interview that Tanzania is with weather and soil conducive for producing cotton, which is now mainly grown in Mwanza, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Geita, Tabora, Kigoma and Singida.
“The Board is currently working tooth and nail to help heighten cotton production; the positive aspiration through which we have decided to embark on a major task to explore more regions where cotton can be produced,” he expressed.
He said Tanzania is a producer of at least 0.2 percent of all cotton being produced through conventional farming in the world, however observing that the country has what it takes to produce more, through both, conventional and organic practices.
Mtunga unveiled that research has proved some new regions where cotton can flourish, including Kigoma, Katavi, Morogoro, and Dodoma.
“In Kigoma and Katavi, the farmers have already started to grow cotton whereby in Morogoro region we have recently sent at least 500tons of seeds to allow the farmers to start producing as we’re continuing imparting them with the agronomic practices needed in cultivating the crop successfully,” Mtunga informed.
In Dodoma region, he said, the research has established that cotton flourishes well in Bahi, Chemba, Chamwino and Kongwa districts, as the board was working to capacitate the farmers in the districts to start cultivating the crop.
Mtunga unveiled that the board had restricted and removed all unorganised cotton selling points, saying all cotton was now being marketed through registered Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Society (AMCOS).
Together with that, he said the board was contemplating to engage the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) Ukiriguru Centre and the Biosustain Company Ltd to conduct a trial project for the production of useful biopesticides for assisting the cotton farmers who are producing organically.
Mtunga observed that Tanzania was the fifth largest producer of organic cotton in the world and in the season 2021/22, more than 30,000 cotton growers were internationally certified organic.
"Over the last years, organic cotton farmers in Tanzania have been harvesting bumper compared to their conventional peers, they received, on average, a 10-15 per cent premium on top of the farm gate price for seed cotton, " he unveiled.
The DG noted that, through practicing regenerative agriculture the farmers are less vulnerable to weather extremes and pest attacks and that improved resilience of their crop production system and the use of locally produced botanical pesticides significantly reduces the cost for inputs, the impressive development that he said leads to a higher productivity of organic cotton production in Tanzania.
"The Cotton Board (TCB) is very keen to stand at forefront in working to support the organic cotton producers. Contrary to the cotton being produced through conventional practices, organic cotton is currently attracting wider and lucrative prices at the world market and thus we have an array of reasons to assist the side since Tanzania has in many areas endowed with all potential to grow cotton through biological farming," Mtunga stated.
As per the Textile Exchange Organic Cotton Demand Insights Report 2020/21, the world-wide demand for organic cotton outweighs the production, and it is forecasted that the demand will heighten by at least 84 percent between 2020 and 2030, and over 36 global textile brands and retailers have pledged to only source sustainable cotton by 2025.
However, the world’s leading producer of organic cotton, India, has difficulties increasing its production due to co-existence with the Genetic modification (GM) cotton farming technology.
Tanzania, on the contrary, prohibits the use of GMO and traditionally uses less agro chemicals than other countries.
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