Is seed cotton enough for ginning capacity in Kenya?
The local supply of seed cotton is not enough to meet ginning capacity. Before sub-sector liberalization, over 90% of Kenya’s ginneries were owned by farmer cooperatives who also marketed cotton for farmers. However, most Cooperatives ceased operations after the sub-sector downturn when farmers transitioned away from cotton cultivation.
Why is cotton a strategic crop in Kenya?
Cotton is an industrial cash crop grown by small scale farmers in Kenya largely under rain-fed conditions. It is considered a strategic crop for communities in the ASALs (marginal areas). These areas have low potential for arable farming and the population living in these areas is resource poor.
Is cotton a viable cash crop in Kenya?
Despite the sector’s production and activities decline, cotton is still considered one of the few cash crops with real potential for increasing employment opportunities and food security through income generation in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) of Kenya.
Where is cotton grown in Kenya?
Department of Economics, University of Nairobi, Box 69965, Nairobi, Kenya. Cotton has been grown in Kenya for a long time. Cotton ginning started in the 1920s when the first buying agents received their licences. It is cultivated in the Western and Nyanza Provinces, and in the Central Eastern and Coast provinces.
Why is cotton production so expensive in Kenya?
The cost of cotton production in Kenya is comparatively high due to low productivity. Average yields are below those achieved by other producers, mostly due to; poor seeds, reliance on rain- fed farming, high exposure to pests, inadequate financial resources and poor management practices.
When did cotton ginning start in Kenya?
Cotton ginning in Kenya started way back in 1920’s when the first buying Agents received their licenses. Most of these were Asian traders who had settled in Kenya as importers of Indian textiles, but changed their business interests during the rise of Kenyan cotton production. They started to buy seed cotton and some of them established ginneries.