The Government of Nicaragua recently announced the beginning of a cotton production project in the country’s northwest region, which will significantly foster the growth of Nicaragua’s textile and apparel sector.

The project, expected to begin in the second half of 2011, will be led by the Government of Nicaragua along with PRONicaragua, the official investment promotion agency of Nicaragua, the National Association of Textiles and Apparel (ANITEC, for its acronym in Spanish) and Brazilian investors.

The objective of the project is to foster the sustainable development of Nicaragua’s textile industry by supplying local raw materials. The production of cotton will also contribute to the vertical integration of the textile and apparel industry, strengthening the country’s value chain.

During the first phase of this agricultural project, private producers will begin a pilot program of approximately 1,609 acres of cotton plantations in order to observe the performance of the crop, the resistance of the seed and determine the type of seeds fit for this project, among other factors.

The project’s second phase includes the production of approximately 17,241 acres during a period from five to seven years, in order to begin supplying raw material to textile and apparel companies operating in the country, thus lowering the costs of garment production.

“We must identify the challenges of the country’s industry, in order to work in improving its competitiveness and fostering its growth, with the ultimate goal of attracting quality investments to this industry and creating more employment”, mentioned Javier Chamorro Rubiales, Executive Director of PRONicaragua.

Dean Garcia, Executive Director of ANITEC, mentioned that cotton production in the country would allow us to reduce the purchase of raw materials overseas, lower costs and also take advantage of good crop prices in international markets.