18 FEATURE SUNDAY TAUST, September 2, 2012

The Cotton farmers 'of Ogun (onr 'd from poge 17

With 10,000 hectares set aside fr)r the cultivation of cotton this planting season in tl,e SOUtll-West, and 6,000 acti"e cotton farmers across the region, the cotton crop may SOOIl spark off an economic revival

I r )'~u tell" Nigerian thaI [ollon is Heing (ultivated in the: South -"\.~t.h' o'shc:maynolbdie\'e

)"Ou. and wonk. quickly imply that you must be lninakcn. or thai )'our grasp rf Ni~C:lia's geography Of loatiollS wht rt (otton Is cultintro, is nawed. Tht truth is tha i the cultil'ation l( cotton is taking place rjght n·}YI in the: south-west, _ .. Today, two hundred years since cotton was first !lrown in the Abec kuta area, Cotton cultivation is u?del~oing a remarkable rebirth .... _._-_. and 1~Ic:td b cultivation in Ogun "d ~'TI SILII S goes I».ck to the rur I I" a.s;d ffc:rent respondenu menti nloS·"dflyTrwt.Alaroinl intereSt in iI. cultivation spread to OS'lfl.r.hc:n, s!ctnro to die down . Collor cuhh'2lion Wtnt 011 In the arn nnw knJI In I5 Ogun Slale for almosla hu~d.-rd yun.

It .... 'IJ n4lj lntilll901 when the Brthsh color i I gOI'ernmtnt KI up a gillry:ry irljJgos that ~pl( gol 10 know a'11 ,otton cultivation in Abto~ula: t . badground 10 Ihis is the 1act tl.a~ Ihe Bntish w;anl~ to f«d ~_;J tutile industrit"S in Ihe Uni,'1 Kingdom, and in thi~ dir~1i "! they had 5(1 up Ihe Briltsh Co~ n ::; rOI"."(rs Association (BCGA). ~ 'lt fam( of cOlton increa."ltd~ 'l 'n another gillnery "''lSSf!IUP II)Shogbo inl904,so sa)'5 Alhaji A xlullahi Kasali . the Secret.ll")', .JJlb,W(SI, National Cotton :d :iation of Nigeria (NAOJTA Ii whos( knowltdg( ofllielottol trade is tncydol'tdic.

TodaY'lj'O hundred years since 10110 as first gro ..... n in the Abto.uta ~ I, cotton culti\1Ition is und~rgEi 8 a r(markable rd>irth andth~ea J"unYWOmtnfUmtrS

-contribu' : ) the ubirth. COllon is not just b4;ri J grown in the South­WCSt. the ~, u doing very ","ell there The! cuming of President ObasanjoiD I ~sawthe return of cOllon cultintion in thearta The gO\'ernmem al the time wass.:cking warsc r del'l Ic ping crops for uport purpo5($, lId it wu thought that Ihls ",ould havt handsome implication . (.'r the country's GOP.

THE cotton f~Hmel"$ of Imala

It wu thtn disco\'tr~ that Long Stapltcollon which rt<juires alot of "''Iltr v.'Ould do well in thc Soulh­We.st if it ..... en to be cultinttd thert. and it has. Allogether, !here are 6,000 farmers cultivating cotton in 7 state! in the Soulh­Wat .Tht cntirt cotlon farmtrs in the South-Wt51 atc upected 10

pl~nt COlton on 10,000 h~tarts of land this farming season. Then are hopts too thai coltOn cultivalion "'ould playa role in reinvigorating Nlgtria's comatose tatlle Indwtry, sparldngoff an Konomic rtvivaJ in tht proccu.

'Tht besl colton In th t ",'orld'

A new initiative un cotton by tht Ogun Stale governmtnl, Ind suppon~ by the Bankoflnduslry (BOI), aimn t crnling 17.2 million jobs in the slate, and raising uports 10 West African countries from its prtSenl S'I& to 10'16. Tht ((denl gO\'o~rnment ha! inj~ttd NlOO biUion in tht Dank of Industry in a bid to !"(ViI'c Ihc tutile indu.stry. Tht fund .I.\'hich Is domicil~ in the BOI Ii to K!Ve Ii a loan to all slakehold(fS involved In production up to marketing. including Ihe ginning Ind textUe faclories. The money is mnn! to soil"( the various dallengts confronting the ind!lSlry. AI Iht production leI'tl

Cotton farmers under the umbrella oflhe National Colton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) art being ghmthe loan and this cr~il facility has bttn accessed by farmers in the South-Wt51.

Some 1,200 h«tarH havt bttn sel15ide for cultivation during the current planting season in Ogun Stale, and tht g1nnery at Ibara Orile referred 10 abm't, Sf!n"tS not just the 1,020 cotton farmers in Ogun Slate, but all the cOllon producers In thunlirc south west This includes Ogun, 0)"0, Osun. Ondo, Ekili, Edo and Kogi StatC$. The aim illo return Nigeria to tht glOrious days whtn the country

aport~ cotton \0 other countries. Chief Lola Kushimo, Chairperson South -West ront of the National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) Iptaks on this.

Her words 'We can relurn Nigtria to the glorious put of aporting cotton, which happcn~ some}"(arsago when Indiacamt for tht highlyyltldlng product. Wtan considering such aport prospects soon if \\"e gd the ntCCSSIfY 5up~t from govtrnmtnL Tht typt of cotlon cultivated in th( south \\"tsl b the long sllplecotton which Ii the best in tht whole ",'Orld :Sht says that right no ..... tht collon farmtrs

Cont'd on poge 19

SUNDAY TRUST, September 2, 2012

Crmr'd fromfHIga 18

are targeting the locaJ industria. AI pruell both India and Ethiopia ha ... -e been pleading with farmers acroi5 the globe 10 plant the t ong Staple variety of Cotton. This mnns Ulal calion producers in the counlry w\luld be in good business ,f ttiq' ferge ahead and get their Ict right, 5it a: there is a ready muket in Ethlol,j[ and Indiil.

Onl) Ole lnclor The l' lnnery which hl5 a 5tatT of

tw\:nty, h l!Kated atlbara Orlle in Abcokul l North locaJ go·.ernment of tM .:ale. In May thiS )Tlf a slgnifica'll e\'ent took place there. This waf II e commissioning of the readival:< Colton double rotle r ginncry, hy Prince Segun Ade:segun. the Depl ll! ' Governor of the state, Ao,:ordillg to Prince Adesegun

=-! We will be like the cotton fanners in t~e BEnin Republic where the cotton busir less is the sale activity, and the economy relies on the industry --_ ... _­'The mall .lbjrctive of the.- Cotton Tral\.~fonnl tion plan of the federal governrn!nl is to grow, u·structure and suPP' '11 tht- industry to produce at kUI 4()( ',OOO metric tonnes of cotlon by l{ 14 Ind revive the textile ind1J5 try: ~OO million Naira hu been give n IS a loan by the Sank of lnd,uslry ' O \lACOTAN foron~~rd disi>u rstlllnt to farmers in the 7 Soulh W" 51 slate5 where COlton is cul jj1'ltC'C .

' nle Co .ton hu\"CSI from the Stak'S In l it South West, including Ogun, is il~n 10 the ginnery. Thc glnncry is d.nntCltd 10 thc national griel and *15 a baling machine, and a tU I sformer, in addition

10 ~ 5Ia~j' r 300 KVA gcneralor. In 11IgeJ :tions of thc ginnet'}'. Ihe lrisi t . :an see bags o f couon broughl *1 rom the various slales wht.:h are s only 10 be v.orktd on.

lief<! tty· COHOfl is cluned in larg': m~ Il nes. This means the debris t~'}naturaIlY Q.mc along ~ith IhejC >l IOn from the farms is ~ :rno : . After il has bttn cfeaned , 1 the ginning proct'SS lake. pia ! \\'hereby the seeW ne rem)\'«! fi'm the cotton. Once

'h, «1' ve been removed the Wit In I 'n; inlO Linl , and Ihen It i~ Inst oily baled. In one da)' Ihe palin 1 lachine is just able to prop!ce bales which comes to 2tonnes.'

hIe ~ a number of faClon lill\ ~ing 1~ work of the ginnel'}' to(3),. Tl~ ' i ,a1ing machine is old' 53)~ Chie Kushimo, and aJds"The ginning 3O .hine i5 also 50 slow' The Cha '1 crson says that thc ginnery h' Ij Signed an MOU with Spinles 01 I .orodu. but adds Ihal the l:inne. 'y hal not Ottn able to mee! up ' vi lh Ihe demand from Spin:u olIllig 10 the nature ohhe mildline!,} a.'2ilable.t the ginnery. ilnel hope . ' hat an imprO\'emenl may be po iSlble this year.

Sle ... ou ld liu modem

IT Is hop~ that Nigeria will export up to 400,000 metric tonnes of lint annua lly

, THERE Is much dearing a nd weeding going on at Imala

> farmi ng equipment, irrigation Ind warehouse facilitieli to be installed. Shc adds that in the past only 750 hectnes were available for calla n cultn~lion in the Slate, but that Ihis has been increased to 1,200 hC-C:lncs by the state gO\'ernmcnt, and thue are leased oul to fumers by NACOTAN. She is quite elated and anticipates a great fu turc in calla n cultivation. Her words ~We want the tntiles 10 be revh"Cd thw we can uport the finished producL We also want ailihe textiles that hilve collapsed 10 come back on stream. The calion crop can spilrk off an c-c:onomic revivaL-

But thue are problems ilSSOdaled with the culii\-atlon of the plant in the South West. Chkf Kushimo point, to the fact that ',here is tlO tractor to be used at hlf\-'cst lime. We normally hl\'e to hi re • tractor when harve;t timc comcs. The Bankorlnduslry promised 10 buy us a good trutor

Cont'd on poge 20

SUNDAY TRUST, September 2. 2012

Thje Cotton farmers of Ogun Conr 'd('r R•Qge, J8 ·h · · ,-/ -which co~, b~h .. -dn 7-8 rd1llion nii~, Then.l:1 enl{one tractor fOr USt' in the cllilreSoulh -Wrst. "Also a forklirt is nuded at the ginnery, Atprescnt there bnone. Thus 'NlUr men al the glnncry ha\'e to load the bales on ·truclt" and this is "'ery stren~ous.· ' ... ., ,

Cotton Illmenof lmaia Allmala the communitywnere

there life sorn.· 6;;0 h«tares for the cultivation ( f (allan. can be found a large numbi f l)ffarmers.both male ~d female, who arc all uen on the cultivnlion .,f colton.l.ln Olanike Okdere ill' nt! of the many cotton fanners b!~' at work in Imala. She tells Sri Idl1Y Tn.ut tha i cation farming In tUgeria has a future Her words Canon farming has a future. Thil k ,Ignmeant because tht gOl'emn le 11 wants to reVltaliu the teJ.:tile fi ,ctories~ Kemi Talahi is anolhcrcott)n famler. Shesap thaI me has just ,o,ned the activity.

H~r wor'!! I realised at a point that cOtton r It ninghu bcc:ome the in thin,.. If gHvernment supports u.s. we I\illll'~ food and will also be better of' Inaterially. 'She ends on in optir Ii .tic note.' Fomlerly, tutile facto rj,'1 \~re nonexistent. With an UI ndance of l.'Otlon, there are hons that the numerous morib'Jlld olmpanies will be revh'e& all \\aumi Adealun has spcnt five), II s culiivning cotton, On h •. :r rtal( ru for joining the colton gro'" ing buslncs.s. she says ·Women d( n' : like to farm, but I thought thl ' n start to farm, my enmI1le willl llraCl other women". 'Sh;OO,rat 11 11')1. feels \hat the colloll trad( b good business., ~d she hIS bee'1 n the trade for fh'C ycars.IHtt ... ords 'everybody must wear ~Iothe~ ;0 the cultivation of cotto~ ~'ill n Itlrally be a successful v~tu(e.

,\\t need I buUdo:r.e r' Altu.ji Su~ Ijudeen Gbc:misola

tells Slmdll) }r."t about some of the dullen~es facing the farmers. His W\)rds V, e need a buUdo:r.er to dear thl f.lrm .There arc 650 hectard he: lor the cultivation of cotton, but ...., . use our money to come ~H~re, (ujd we arc also USing ourhlllUs t~cI !arthe bush. Wealso nC'C'dgl)od ihingwaterherc,and a scttlemen tllO mould be sci up,

instead of ~~ndiyjdu.al spending Nl,oon n' r day on transport while coml 'rom Abeokuta.. 'He would also . the gol'ernment to &et up IlI1lrrlption s)'stem at Imala ",'hich .... oul ~ h~lp in the cultivation of cott.m. Hf l 'ishes for a situation where b>()ve~ ~ lent would subsidise the chfmlC\J1 .sed by the fanners, bca.~e thc!4 art very cxpcnsh'e

lod:r~huJ.Jnt five yean in the cotton tTad ~readY' and adds that hewanillo I lto largescalecotton farming, H~ Ids on an optimistic not t 'In1CJn Ightcnment on the potent..als rI collon is growing. Foreigners .a.re been getting In louch wi ,IS. If gO\~rnment can en:ouJl!t the farmen.. it can go a II.ng Ita) for us in Nigeria. There 1ft m If y groups interested in u.pandi l1g the cultivation of colton in Nl.,;eria: Addani Akinde tells Sw.dll) t ·ruJI that ",ilhi" I

sll; month per iod, the number of

A s mOliIl tent set up at ImalOli by the farmers

ANOTHER view of the baling machine

pcrsons keen on cultivating cotton glew mndsomely. He has great hopes for the future.

His words: Thuon is a hot cake on the world market, and ..... e IOo'ant to reactivate the coUapscd industries: O. O. Kushimo, Desk omcu and Glnnery Supervisor, indicates to Sunday Trust by ~ail that the Ginnery has enkred into an agreement with Spintex of Ikorodu tp purchase III the lints produced in the South·West (rom the Ginnery, and for now lbout 46 tonnes of baled Lint hive been marketed, In the email he also showed tbe\'arious uscsof cotton to highlight its significance for global

muk$ According to him Long Staple

cO(lon is highly proteinous and can be added to the diet.. Food industries can also use 011 which is exl~Cled from Cotton seeds. It is also free of cholesterol and Is therefore significant In preventing strokes, Also the dirty lint can be proces.scd Into cotton wool which can be used In hospitals..

Abdullahi Kasal! adds that poor ""tather and ecological conditions in Asia u well as In Europe, mean that countries In both locations would continue to look towards NigHla for the much treuurcd Long Staple callan. His words

INA g enerator

'Last year both India and China had ecological problems. so they came here to Nigeria to buy conon.and the price went up.1t cost 600,000 per tonne last ~r,They art stiU having poor weather and hanh ecological conditions, and ther arc encouraging uS to plant the Long Slaple COllon.so that they will ha\'e raw materials for their induslries. FinaDy, we collon farmers in Nigeria are bound to reap handsomely on account oflhis situation.

On the future of the industry, Abdu.llahi Kasali says that within the next three years, Collon farmers in Abcokuta would be happily driving Clotlc cau. This.

he 1a)'S, is on account of the colton tude which is bringing in a lot of mone)". and is e\~n the mainstay of ntighbouring «onomies sum as that of Benin ReJ1Ublic, He thinks that the cnmple of Benin could be replicated her~ His words 'In the next three years If you come to the South-Wcst. you will sce OUT fumen laughing and doing \\'ondcrful things. They \\il1 be driVIng Jeeps and other Clotic cars. We will be like the cotton fumen in the Benin Republic where the cotlon blUiness is the sole IcllvllY, and the economy relics on the Industry: