The National Cotton Association of Nigeria in Gombe State said about 22,000 farmers have abandoned cotton growing for higher-paying crops. Mr Bala Garba, the association’s Public Relations Officer, stated this in an interview in Gombe. He said the trend, if not addressed, could threaten cotton production in Gombe, one of the country's cotton-producing frontline states.
Garba said the association lost 22,000 members from 2020 to date who embraced cultivating maize, rice, beans, and other food crops. He attributed the decline to the collapse of ginneries and textile industries, a lack of farmer support programmes, and poor-quality seeds that resulted in low yields and losses. “Previously, we had over 25,000 cotton farmers in Gombe State. However, we now have roughly 3,000 farmers. The decline contributed to the collapse of the ginneries. There are four private and state-owned ginneries that are no longer functioning due to lack of raw materials.”
Garba said the trend has negative impacts, given its potential to create employment and supply raw materials to ginneries. He advocated for viable intervention programmes to support farmers and encourage productivity. He noted that the Federal Government supported cotton farmers between 2019 and 2020, but the intervention has stopped since.
The winners: food crop farmers, who are benefiting from the shift. The losers: the cotton industry, which is collapsing; the ginneries, which are dormant; and the thousands of farmers who have abandoned cotton.
Bottom Line: Cotton is dying in Gombe. Farmers are moving to food crops. The government's support has stopped. The question is whether the industry can be revived or it is gone for good.