Mozambique’s exports of cotton fibre doubled in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2025, reaching nearly €3.6 million. Government data, cited by Lusa, shows that the country exported 3,133 tonnes of cotton yarn between January and March.
According to a performance report with information from the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries, Mozambican cotton was mainly exported to Bangladesh, Dubai, and Switzerland. In the same period of 2025, exports stood at 1,636 tonnes.
The report’s historical data indicates that external sales in the first quarter of last year generated about €2.2 million. The new performance represents significant growth in both volume and revenue for the national cotton sector.
Meanwhile, the government announced in May a 22.7% increase in the price of cotton per kilogram for the 2025–26 agricultural campaign. The new price is set at 27 meticais per kilogram, up from 22 meticais in the previous season.
“The calculation gave 26.5 meticais per kilogram, but we saw it was possible to reach 27 meticais. We would have liked it to be higher, but the State, together with the industry, will find a mechanism to compensate for this additional half metical for producers,” said Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Roberto Albino.
The minister was speaking in Maputo after a meeting on the negotiation of minimum prices for cotton and oilseeds for the 2025–26 season. He explained that the government and the private sector will jointly cover the difference without using the stabilisation fund, while also promoting productivity through improved seeds and technology.
“Producers are very sensitive to prices. A reduction like last year’s was enough for us to lose between 30% and 40% of sector producers. Therefore, the government and the private sector decided to join efforts to recover those who abandoned the activity,” he said.
The minister also noted that agreed prices should encourage production, increase productivity, and improve household incomes for farming families. Minimum price negotiations now also include oilseeds, a sector that together with cotton involves more than 800,000 smallholder farmers across the country.
Of this total, around 100,000 producers are engaged in cotton cultivation, while another 700,000 are involved in oilseed production. In the last season, Mozambique produced 25,000 tonnes of seed cotton and 350,000 tonnes of oilseeds across more than 140 districts.
