The
cultivation of cotton in Angola will be re-launched with the support of the
Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JICA), which plans to send
technicians to the African country to carry out experimental cultivation of
cotton in the Capanda Agricultural Hub, in Malanje province, according to the
Japanese Embassy in Luanda.During the study, which will be carried out in
conjunction with the Institute of Agrarian Development (IDA), there will be
field trials with varieties of cotton using a drip irrigation system, with the
support of international experts, to “assess the adaptability and yield of
different varieties of seed cotton.”
The support from JICA will also ensure the “acquisition
of irrigation equipment, seeds, fertilizers, cotton pressing, and other needs,”
according to Portuguese news agency Lusa.The programme coordinator for cotton
production in the Ministry of Agriculture, Carlos Canza, in July announced in
July the intention of a Japanese company to deploy this experimental system in
an area of 10,000 hectares, and expecting to see a yield of 5 tons of cotton
per hectare.Cotton
cropping was introduced in Angola in the mid 16th century, during the
Portuguese colonial period.In 1872, Angola exported 1,000 tons of cotton, but
significant growth of production only happened from the mid-1960s onwards, when
production increased to over 10,000 tons per year.
Angolan
cotton production reached a record of 86,000 tons in 1973, making Angola one of
the world’s largest producers.The war that ravaged the country after the
proclamation of independence in 1975, virtually ended cotton production, and
this year the Ministry of Agriculture has launched a programme to recover this
cash crop.
Source: Taiwan Today, China Saturday, 02 December 2017