Council outlines strategy to increase cotton output

The Cotton Council of Malawi has outlined recovery and growth strategies for the forthcoming farming season anchored by sustainable input mobilisation and renewed sector coordination.

In its overview report for the 2025/26 season during which cotton output fell to 4.2 million kilogrammes (kg) from 6.5 million kg, the regulatory authority said the interventions are expected to improve farmers’ access to inputs and strengthen the foundation for increased production and household incomes.

Farmers packaging cotton in bales. | Nation

Reads the report in part: “The council is already preparing for the 2026/27 season, with a strong focus on ensuring timely seed distribution and establishing a sustainable input mobilisation model in partnership with banks, ginners and other sector stakeholders.”

The report further said cotton production needs to be promoted, especially for the 2026/27 season amid forecasts of El Niño conditions because the crop is drought-tolerant.

Cotton Council of Malawi spokesperson Prisca Jamali said in an interview on Monday that with timely planting, effective rainfall and good agronomic practices, cotton can remain a resilient and a profitable crop.

She said: “The combination of record prices that averaged K1 500 per kg from K1 200 per kg strengthens input mobilisation and renewed sector coordination positions Malawi’s cotton industry for recovery and growth.

“This offers opportunity for greater production capable of translating the favourable price environment into increased incomes for farmers.”

The council’s data show that in the next season, they target 50 000 metric tonnes (MT) output, which is in line with its long-term objective of reaching 400 000MT.

Malawi Cotton Company field manager Yohane Jim said in a separate interview that apart from challenges to access inputs, fears of low production are linked to low numbers of farmers growing cotton based on past experience.

“Production was low because out of the 26 000 farmers that grew cotton the previous season, only 7 000 grew the crop this year,” he said.

Jim said this was partly because farmers were affected by technical challenges experienced in the Cotton Management Information System, a digital platform piloted in 2025 by the council to modernise and track the country’s cotton market operations.

Long-time cotton commercial farmer Duncan Warren, in an earlier interview, recalled that since 2010, when Malawi achieved an output of about 100 000MT, the country has only been producing about 10 000MT because of low investment.

He said that unlike other countries that have revamped the industry by subsidising genetically modified cotton seed, Malawi has turned a blind eye on the opportunity, leaving farmers stuck with local varieties that offer low yields.

Due to low output in the just-ended season, overall farmers’ income has also declined to K6.3 billion from K7.8 billion last year, representing a 19 percent drop.

For the past two seasons, Malawi has been targeting to produce 22 000MT of cotton but ended up producing less than one third of the target.

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