The Indian Cotton Federation (ICF) is keen on investing in cotton development in Africa.Senior ICF officials indicated this to the 16-member African delegation, which was on a visit to this part of the country to understand the mill sector’s requirement.
ICF Vice-President KN Viswanathan said: “We are interested in investing in cotton development in Africa and improving trade relationship between African countries and India.” “The textile sector here is dependent on international merchants for sourcing cotton from African countries. The expression of interest by these African cotton farmers and ginners would go a long way in establishing direct trade links between the mill sector and the growers of cotton in Africa,” he said.
The Federation sought production details from the members of the delegation from six African countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria, Uganda and Malawi.
Late shipment, shade variation, contamination and delays in presenting documents are some of the major concerns that we face at present, said Nataraj, Managing Director, KPR Mills and Vice-President, ICF. KPR Mills, according to Nataraj, has been sourcing close to 40 per cent of the mill’s cotton requirement from Africa. “We depend on merchant exporters,” Nataraj said.
This is the fourth delegation in three months. The delegation’s visit is said to be part of the Centre’s Cotton Technical Assistance Programme for Africa.
It is a three-year project and is expected to come to an end in 2015. The initiative includes setting up of a knowledge cluster in Benin, bio pesticide lab in Uganda and skill development programmes in Nigeria in association with CICR and CIRCOT, said Milan Sharma, Head – Africa Initiatives, IL&FS Cluster Development Initiative Ltd.
Source:- thehindubusinessline.com
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