A Chinese company is going to invest about US$ 3 million for production of medical cotton in Súbuè, a town in Mozambique’s Sofala province, reports Verdade.

 

The proposed plant for production of clinical cotton would be the first of its kind in Mozambique, and would cease the need for importing such cotton into the country.

 

The plant, to be set up by China Africa Cotton (CAC) company, will have an annual capacity to process 30,000 tons of raw cotton, and will employ about 300 local people.

 

The company has urged the Mozambican Government to ensure smooth running of the new plant.

 

Mozambique is a cotton growing country and in 2011-12 season, the country produced about 184 tons of raw cotton and 70,000 tons of fibre, which yielded $110 million in revenues.

 

However, cotton production declined in 2012-13 season to 100,000 tons of raw cotton and 38,000 tons of cotton fibre, estimated to have generated revenues of $70 million.

 

More than 256,000 farmers were engaged in growing of cotton in the previous season, in which the average crop yield was 975 kg per hectare.

 

At present, there are ten companies that are working in the area of cotton promotion in the country.

 

By 2022, Mozambique targets to achieve cotton yield of about 1,200 kg per hectare and the overall raw cotton production to go up to 200,000 tons, according to the Mozambican Cotton Institute.