Tina Amanda
An Agriculturist in Rivers State says there is a need for the federal government to improve the textile industry by reviving cotton farming across the 36 states of the country.
Chairman Agric and Agro-Allied Trade Group, Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Emmanuel Ogbonda, who
stated this while fielding questions from our reporter Tina Amanda said cotton farming business is one section of Agriculture that will help to grow the economic situation of the country.
He noted that before now, cotton farming had been one of the agriculture products that enhanced Nigeria’s economy before the sole concentration on the oil sector while stressing that government should not be in a haste to ban the importation of textile until cotton farming is revived.
According to him, currently the demand for fabrics is high and if cotton farming is supported and promoted, the local industries will pick up and employment opportunities will be created.
“banning the importation of fabrics into the country will kill and destroy the business of those who are into textile business. Everyone is in need of fabric for one purpose or the other. The government should support those in cotton farming. I agree that such business should be revived, that way we can grow our economy and the price of production can be reduced because when it is produced locally it is cheaper”
He also urged the government to set up policies that will enhance textile business by allowing interested partners in Agric production to be part of the policymaking.
“Let there be policy to grow cotton business, and it should be drawn from all the states, they should open it up to businessmen. I discovered most of the businesses when the government run it, some persons in civil service who use it to make money don’t even know how to sustain the business because they are not businessmen.
Cotton business requires people who are in such business, captains of industries that are into agricultural produce and know what it takes to sustain agric business‘’
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