Lack of ginned cotton impedes industry?
Jan 08, 2009
I write in reaction to Dr. Maggie Kigozi’s article on cotton published in The New Vision of December 29 2008. <br>My husband introduced me to cotton farming a few years ago. <br>
Rachel Nakawesi
I write in reaction to Dr. Maggie Kigozi’s article on cotton published in The New Vision of December 29 2008.
My husband introduced me to cotton farming a few years ago.
In my experience, planting seeds have been availed to us (farmers) at distribution centres three weeks or a month before the planting date.
This is the reason we sometimes plant before the rains start. Initially, they used to supply us with fuzzy planting seeds. Today, we receive bare cotton seeds just like beans. They are easy to plant and germinate faster.
We get the Cotton Development Organisation (CDO) field officer and extension workers coming to our gardens. These people advise us on good crop management.
CDO has also provided us with spraying chemicals at fair prices. To me, all these are a sign of good planning in the cotton sector.
From Kigozi’s article, she recommends small scale regulating, but it leads to cases like the Shimoni saga of investors.
Kigozi misled us when she wrote that raw materials have to be imported from other countries.
I am sure the biggest percentage of lint produced in Uganda is exported; so it does not make sense to import.
Many cotton farmers swear they can never engage in organic cotton. It leaves me wondering, whether Government officials keep track of developments on the ground.
The closure of Greenland Bank, International Credit Bank, Cooperative Bank and others was a positive move to protect peasants.
Likewise; Mudduawulira, Brittania, Clark Cotton, and Rhinehart closed for our good. Their closure neither affected the input (seed, spraying chemicals) nor output in terms of lint produced.
As the head of Uganda Investment Authority, Kigozi should know better that Dunavant does not own ‘seven’ textile mills in Gulu, Kitgum, Apac, Lira, Kaberamaido and Nakasongola.
In Kigozi’s article, we clearly see the misguided interest of government officials coming from $1.8m from the US Agency for International Development and 1.4m Euros from German Development Bank.
Since the CDO is a parastatal just like UIA, it is paramount that government officials start taking collective responsibility and spare us stress.
The writer is a cotton farmer and works with GTV
I write in reaction to Dr. Maggie Kigozi’s article on cotton published in The New Vision of December 29 2008.
My husband introduced me to cotton farming a few years ago.
In my experience, planting seeds have been availed to us (farmers) at distribution centres three weeks or a month before the planting date.
This is the reason we sometimes plant before the rains start. Initially, they used to supply us with fuzzy planting seeds. Today, we receive bare cotton seeds just like beans. They are easy to plant and germinate faster.
We get the Cotton Development Organisation (CDO) field officer and extension workers coming to our gardens. These people advise us on good crop management.
CDO has also provided us with spraying chemicals at fair prices. To me, all these are a sign of good planning in the cotton sector.
From Kigozi’s article, she recommends small scale regulating, but it leads to cases like the Shimoni saga of investors.
Kigozi misled us when she wrote that raw materials have to be imported from other countries.
I am sure the biggest percentage of lint produced in Uganda is exported; so it does not make sense to import.
Many cotton farmers swear they can never engage in organic cotton. It leaves me wondering, whether Government officials keep track of developments on the ground.
The closure of Greenland Bank, International Credit Bank, Cooperative Bank and others was a positive move to protect peasants.
Likewise; Mudduawulira, Brittania, Clark Cotton, and Rhinehart closed for our good. Their closure neither affected the input (seed, spraying chemicals) nor output in terms of lint produced.
As the head of Uganda Investment Authority, Kigozi should know better that Dunavant does not own ‘seven’ textile mills in Gulu, Kitgum, Apac, Lira, Kaberamaido and Nakasongola.
In Kigozi’s article, we clearly see the misguided interest of government officials coming from $1.8m from the US Agency for International Development and 1.4m Euros from German Development Bank.
Since the CDO is a parastatal just like UIA, it is paramount that government officials start taking collective responsibility and spare us stress.
The writer is a cotton farmer and works with GTV