#Raw Materials

2019-12-12

Tanzania rejoins the ICAC

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) has announced that Tanzania rejoined the organisation, becoming its 29th Member and 11th Member in Africa.

The country’s agricultural industry has great potential, as acknowledged by the World Bank, and re-joining the ICAC is one step forward in developing that untapped potential especially for cotton, which is a key crop.

‘Tanzania initially joined the ICAC in 1961, and for many years the country benefited immensely from timely market information, trade, technology advancements and specific projects’, said Marco Mtunga, Director General of the Tanzania Cotton Board. ‘For Tanzania, rejoining the ICAC is like coming back home where we belong’.

The country's cotton industry has made great strides recently, with the following gains made from 2017/18 to 2018/19:

Area is up from 350,000 hectares (ha) to 420,000 ha,

Yields jumped from 154 kg/ha to 193 kg/ha, and

Production grew from 54,000 tonnes to 81,000 tonnes.

‘We are thrilled to welcome Tanzania back into the ICAC family and it is exciting to see our membership continue to grow in response to the new initiatives and policies introduced over the last two years’, said Kai Hughes, ICAC Executive Director. ‘Tanzania is a key producer in East Africa and its membership underlines not only the importance of cotton to its economy but also the importance of the ICAC and its role in fostering a healthy and sustainable cotton economy for its Members. The ICAC is working hard to increase yields in Member states in Africa and Asia and there should be no reason why yields in most — if not all — cotton-producing countries in these continents cannot double’.

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