Textile, garment manufacturing sector is one of the key industrial sectors, which is prioritized by the government and expected to contribute to the actualization of country's GTP II. Yet, compared to the country's potential resource, its foreign currency generating capacity have not yet reached at a satisfactory level. The nation plans to earn about one billion USD at the end of GTP II.
In fact, Ethiopia is the second most cotton producing nations in Africa with a higher factory usage. Its current position makes Ethiopia a magnet to and an attractive, highly desirable destination for cotton and textile investors.
The textile industry is believed to serve as a springboard to kick start and sustain a rapid economic growth. As such it has been selected a priority area by the government.
In GTP II, the country has planned to increase cotton output from the land productivity level of 15 quintals/ha in 2015 to 28 quintals/ha in 2020. In the long-term, Ethiopia has set out to become self sufficient in lint cotton supply.
Recent, trends show that the demand from textile mills for cotton is partially satisfied from local sources and sizeable amount is imported.
To this effect, the government is exerting concerted efforts to ensure the transformation of the manufacturing sector and encourage local cotton production. Besides, it is taking a bold strategic measure to develop industrial parks at different development corridors of the country.
For example, the recently inaugurated Hawassa Industrial Park is a showcase to textile and garment industry. The coming into being of this park is a commendable move in this case. Likewise, other parks are also in the pipeline. They are expected to play a significant role in facilitating textile and garment industries development and boosting the country's earnings from its untapped potentials. Nowadays, Bole Lemi and Hawasa industrial parks are attracting globally notable investors and known companies.
In light of this, recognizing the growing demand for cotton and potential cotton growing parts of Ethiopia, the government, currently is aggressively working to facilitate conducive conditions and promote promising areas of the sector. But, the effort needs an urgent collective drive to address gaps observed in the sector. Indeed, the government has set out the development of cotton and textile industry as a key priority in the national industrialization strategy.
Consistent supply of cotton maintaining its quality, quantity and price is critical for the sustainability and competitiveness of the textile and garments sector.
But, currently, ensuring the standard of domestic cotton production has become one of the key challenges for the textile mills. Local cotton products should be environmentally, economically, socially and industrially beneficial not only for producers but also for the nation too.
Hence, the 15-year national cotton development strategy is expected to ensure an effective and coordinated cotton development programme.
Establishing a sustainable cotton production, installing the proper institutional arrangements, putting in place effective financial and non-financial services and improving inputs access, and infrastructure development in the potential areas have been given highest attention by the government.
According to sources, currently, the total amount of cotton produced locally does not meet the expanding demand from the present textile factories. Output data for the 2014 and 2015 crop seasons shows the total commercial cotton growing land, for large scale producers, is 60,000 hectares with the output of 213,200 tons of raw cotton.
But, joint efforts have to be undertaken focusing on specialized training for development as well as facilitating linkages between smallholder farmers and commercial farms for technical support and market linkage.
To strengthen the cooperation, joining hands with the stakeholders has to be taken to develop a strategic document to support the realization of our vision in 2025, to maintain Ethiopia's competitive advantage of producers both the smallholder and the commercial farmers as well as the textile and garment factories through sustainable production.
All stakeholders in the cotton, textile and apparel sector have to have a common vision and find ways easing major constraints of the sector incorporating the experiences of other cotton-producing and developed countries.
Gap in modern farming, improved seeds utilization, research conducted in the field and marketing system, fall of world cotton price, among other challenges, are bottlenecks in the cotton farming. They lead farmers to zoom their eyes to other crops.
The recent scoping study, which leads into Ethiopian sustainability, is one of key major strategies that facilitate the roadmap for the next 15 years cotton production and productivity ahead.
In sum, to become competitive in the textile and garment sector, the sustainability of cotton supply in-terms of quality and quantity matters most.
