The Federal Government of Nigeria has been urged to ban import of foreign fabrics to revive the nation’s ailing textile mills. According to Alhaji Sani Muhammad, the Administrative Secretary of Zamfara Textile Industry located in Gusau, importation of textile materials had led to the collapse of the nation’s textile sector.

Muhammad lamented that Zamfara Textile, established in 1965, had layed off over 2, 500 workers in 2004. It is unfortunate that the industry is not able to come back fully.

ZTIL has a ginnery and spinning and weaving facilities for the production of high quality grey baft. It supplies the bulk of the fabric requirements to Supertex in Kaduna.

He described plan by the government to improve power and fuel supply as a `welcome development’, adding that if the importation of textile goods were not stopped, surviving local mills would be operating at a loss.

Cotton farmers, who produced raw materials for the mills had moved to other crops with the collapse of the sector. He, therefore, urged the government to provide improved cotton seeds and modern textile machines for Nigerian fabrics to favorably compete with foreign ones.

The Chairman, Ginners Association of Nigeria in the state, Alhaji Sani Dahiru, blamed poor cotton production on the neglect of the agricultural sector and collapse of the textile industries.

Out of the 15 ginneries operating in the state, only two offered skeletal services. Dahiru urged the government to provide trained agricultural extension workers to assist farmer to cotton famers meet the needs of the surviving mills.

The Director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture in the state, Alhaji Musa Raji, said that despite government’s efforts to encourage cotton farmers, there was no much progress. The ministry, which supplied improved seeds and fertilizer to the farmers, was always ready to offer professional advice to farmers.