Cotton is one of the main export crops, contributing to the growth of the Mozambican economy. With this in mind, the government intends to raise the levels of production and commercialisation of the product over the next few years, through the involvement of private sector agents.
According to a publication in the newspaper Noticias, in order to realise this goal, the Mozambique Cotton Institute (IAOM) recently launched a public tender to find entrepreneurs interested in promoting the crop in the provinces of Cabo Delgado, Zambézia, Tete, Manica, Sofala, Inhambane and Gaza, with effect from the next agricultural campaign 2024-25.
According to the news agency, individuals, companies, organisations, associations and cooperatives that demonstrate their legal, financial and technical qualifications and fiscal regularity by presenting the relevant supporting documentation are eligible to apply.
“Cotton production is carried out under the concession of a promotion and marketing area, in which the state authorises economic agents to promote the production and sale of this crop to producers in a given territory. Currently, the country has areas with high potential for the production of this crop, to be concessioned to interested economic agents, which include new areas and others that were allocated to businessmen in the past, but which have now been revoked,” revealed the news report.
In 2023, cotton exports in Mozambique earned approximately 110 million dollars for fibre and 15 million dollars for seeds. The country produced a total of 184,000 tonnes of seed cotton and 70,000 tonnes of fibre during the last agricultural season.
Data indicates that the Asian market is the main destination for Mozambican cotton exports, and that investments are underway to increase cotton ginning and pressing capacity, with the aim of improving productivity and export revenues.
