Page 20 - 17 Cotton SA March 2019

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In contrast, Australia, China, Mexico, Dr Md. Farid Uddin proposes the following
Brazil and Turkey have in recent years been strategies, which may assist in developing the
harvesting more than 1 500 kg of lint per cotton sector in Africa:
hectare, with Australia touching a record • Upscaling: There is a need to increase
2 680 kg/ha in 2014. Interestingly, Turkey the scale of production. Large-scale projects
harvests 1 800 kg/ha without using biotech and better support by national services and
cotton. The USA has been harvesting about policies will definitively increase productivity
1 000 kg of lint per hectare. Cotton yields and will bring down production costs.
in these countries have been on a significant • Good quality seed: Good agriculture
positive growth curve over the years. A critical results from good seeds. Improving access to
analysis shows that the ascent in this growth good quality seeds will play a major role in
curve was due to consistent improvements yield enhancement.
in plant breeding, agronomy and integrated • Integrated pest management (IPM):
pest management (IPM). Improvements are Effective pest management can efficiently
happening every year and yields are constantly prevent yield losses. Therefore, there is a
on the rise. The strategies appear to be based need to actively promote IPM practices.
mainly on interlinked elements, such as new • Soil health: Adoption of integrated soil
varieties that were specifically developed to fertility management practices holds the key
suit mechanised conditions that demand a for good crop health. Integrated Nutrient
particular type of agronomy. The new varieties Management (INM) practices need to be
were designed for a plant architecture that suits promoted, combining agronomic practices
spindle-type machine pickers. relating to intercrops, mineral fertilisers,
According to Dr Md. Farid Uddin from the organic inputs and other interventions.
Cotton Development Board in Bangladesh, the • Profitability: Improving income from
most common challenges to cotton production cotton is important to sustain farmers’
in Africa are as follows: interest in the crop. Profitability can be
• Smaller scale of production enhanced by optimising the usage of water
• Limited access to good quality seed and agrochemicals to prevent wastage of
• Heavy reliance on insecticides resources and investment. Cotton production
• Decreasing soil fertility cost should be rationalised by increasing
• Increasing production costs productivity as well as adding value to
• Volatile markets cotton fibres and by-products.

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