reports that there are fresh concerns over the fate of the cotton industry in the country, which has remained comatose over the years. The cotton industry in Northern Nigeria was a thriving sector that contributed greatly to the region’s economy in the past. Cotton farming was a major source of income to farmers and traders alike as it provided raw materials for textile industries and generated employment for thousands of people. Unfortunately, the once-booming cotton industry has collapsed, leading to the closure of hundreds of ginneries and the loss of thousands of jobs.
The reasons for the collapse are many, including poor government policies, climate change, lack of access to modern farming techniques, and the influx of cheaper cotton imports. Thousands of farmers and traders who depended on industry for their livelihoods have been left stranded, and the region’s economy has suffered a major blow. Investigation in the region’s major cotton-producing and processing states showed that the ginneries which once bought and processed cotton for the textile companies in Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara states have packed up. Also, farmers in these states, who used to produce and supply the ginneries, had abandoned their farms due to poor patronage.
