International Cotton Advisory Committee (Icac) Executive Director, Kai Hudges, alerted stakeholders that Malawi is the world’s lowest cotton grower. The announcement has come as cotton is considered to be one of the cash crops in the country.

Kai Hughes, visited Malawi to observe the current cotton industry in the country and meet stakeholders and policymakers in the sector on ways of improving its share to the national economy. He advised that Malawi should join Icac to earn more profits from the crop, as cotton production in the country has been dwindling from 100, 000 metric tonnes in 2011\12 to about 10,000 metric tonnes in 2016/17, the sector operates at less than 10% of its potential capacity at all value chain stages.

“Malawi needs to understand what other countries are doing in promoting cotton growing. Countries with a good research base are doing well in growing the crop. Meanwhile the cotton yield in Malawi is the lowest in the world and we need farmers to be advised on how to grow cotton in the modern times,” observed Hughes. While Cotton is ranked fourth as a foreign exchange earner after tobacco, tea and sugar, Icac membership for Malawi will boost the crop’s capacity to around 40%, spur export revenue to $70 million, create 40,000 jobs, enhance incomes of small-holder farmers as well as increase its share to Gross Domestic Product in the agriculture sector.