A nine member board for the Cotton Development Authority (CDA) has been inaugurated in Tamale to help revamp the industry and also promote private investment in the sector.
Members The board, which is chaired by Dr Abdulai B. Salifu, a former Director-General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), was also tasked to map out strategies to increase investor confidence in the cotton industry in the country.
Other members of the board include Mr Mahama Ayariga, the Minister designate for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation; Mr Emmanuel Asante -Krobea, the Director of Crop Service at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA); Mr Maurice Tanco Abisa Seidu and Kuoro Kuiri-Buktie Liman IV.
The rest are Dr Emmanuel Boachie Chamba, Mr James Wiyor Baafa Yesseh, Mr William Boakye–Acheampong, the Northern Regional Director of Agriculture, and Mr Yaw Owusu Adomah.
Functions Inaugurating the board, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr Fifi Kwetey, said the board was going to assist the Cotton Development Authority to administer its functions as stipulated in Section 2 of the Cotton Development Act 1969 (NLCD 353).
According to him, the cotton revival strategy which was launched in 2010 with support from the World Bank was geared towards improving the industry as well as providing avenues for both local and foreign investors interested in the sector.
Performance Mr Kwetey said the years 2011 and 2012 saw a massive increase in the area of cultivation from 2,500 to 21,064 hectares by 28,297 farmers.
These successes, he noted, were realised from the effective management by three cotton companies: Armajaro Cotton Limited, Olam Cotton Limited and Wienco Cotton Limited.
“However, Armajaro Cotton Limited and Olam Cotton Limited pulled out in the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 farming seasons due to the poaching of the seed cotton by the farmers which resulted in a drop in production to about 2,500 hectares in 2014,” he said.
The minister indicated that cotton played an important role in the socio-economic development of the country and that it was for this reason that the government was collaborating with the private sector and also seeking innovative ideas to revive the industry to make it more productive.
Mr Kwetey, therefore, entreated the board members to show commitment and direction in the effective administration of the company by working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOFA) and other stakeholders.
Low prices The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, in a speech read on his behalf, said the inauguration of the board in the region was in the right direction since the area was a major hub of cotton production.
He observed that some of the problems the sector faced were low cotton prices and the inability of the major players in the sector to collaborate effectively.
Chairman In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Chairman of the board, Dr Abdulai B. Salifu, said the sector needed to be revitalised to accelerate the socio-economic development of the country.
Dr Salifu urged the members to co-operate and dedicate themselves to the responsibilities bestowed on them.
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