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Related Keywords: Africa, cotton, cotton sector, Cotton Sector Development Programme, farming, Mills, Tanzania, Tanzania cotton board, Textile, Textile mills

While cotton growing and ginning is a top agricultural export industry in Tanzania, the sector has been struggling for the past 50 years. As a result, Tanzania’s half a million smallholder cotton farmers in the Lake Zone, the region southeast of Lake Victoria where most cotton is produced, remain impoverished. The poverty rate in Tanzania was 26.8 percent in 2016. Improving the Tanzanian economy, which relies on the cotton sector, is essential to further reduce the poverty rate and improving livelihoods.

Related Keywords: cotton buying season, dropped across all the districts, have produced quality cotton, Maswa and Bariadi districts in Simiyu Region, Mr Kisinza Ndimu, Only Meatu, Quality of this year cotton, Tanzania cotton board, the Principal Ginnery officer, Western Zone of Tanzania

The quality of this year's cotton has dropped across all the districts in the Western Zone of Tanzania. Only Meatu, Maswa and Bariadi districts in Simiyu Region have produced quality cotton, according to the recently released figures reflected business conducted between June 21 and September 1, this year, said Mr Kisinza Ndimu, the Principal Ginnery Officer of the Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB).

At least 120,000 tonnes of cotton has been bought from farmers in the Western Zone, where 99 percent of the country's cotton is produced annually, the cotton board has confirmed.

Related Keywords: fourth biggest producer of organic variety, ginning companies raising farmers amount, increase cultivation, next season cotton production may double, spurs Tanzanian farmers, Stronger price for fiber, Tanzania cotton board

Stronger prices for the fiber spurs Tanzanian farmers, the world’s fourth-biggest producer of the organic variety to increase cultivation which may double cotton production to a four year high next season, said a government agency.

Emmanuel Mwangulumba, chief regulatory officer at the Tanzania Cotton Board said that ginning companies are raising the amount they pay farmers to an average of 1,000 shillings ($0.46) per kilogram (2.2 pounds), 25 percent more than they previously received.

Related Keywords: contract farming, Cotton growers, empowering farmers to process cotton themselves, Ginners, increase their revenue, increase value chains, sell both cotton and its seeds, Tanzania cotton board

The Tanzania Cotton Board (TCB) is working out plan to empower farmers to process cotton themselves and benefit from selling both cotton and its seeds. They are also working on increase value chains in the sector. TCB Director of Finance and Administration Gabriel Mwalo said that under the new system, cotton growers will reap the fruits of value addition.

Currently ginners are the ones who enjoy the lion share of cotton profits making double income, because more than fiber they also earn from oil extracted from cotton seeds.