The closure of textile companies around the country has reduced Nigeria’s cotton production, making the crop almost extinct.
Cotton, sisal, jute, and hemp are among the essential plant-based raw materials for textiles. Approximately 51,000 metric tonnes of cotton are produced in Nigeria, compared to approximately 300,000 tonnes in the 1980s.
The closure of textile companies in Nigeria is blamed for the low cotton production; according to producers, the country no longer has a fully functional textile company.
“I have stopped cotton farming because there is no off-taker. We do not have textile companies again that would off-take what we harvest. “The business has become unprofitable,” said Mustapha Argungu, a farmer from Katsina.
TNC understands that Nigeria’s cotton output has continued to fall as more sector firms close down, costing thousands of jobs.
In the 1980s, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe, Maiduguri, Bauchi, and Gombe states produced 30–35 percent of Nigeria’s cotton, while Katsina, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Zamfara states produced 60–65 percent.
It is also reported that the crop is farmed on a smaller scale in Kano, Kaduna, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, and Ogun. But the situation has gotten worse.
The Cotton Association of Nigeria’s national president, Anibe Achimugu, claimed that the cotton value chain is unconscious.
“The bedrock raw material (seed cotton) of the value chain is experiencing production decline as approximately 100,000 metric tonnes were produced in the 2023/2024 season but the 2024/2025 season is not likely to be above 15,000 metric tonnes,” according to him.
“Ginning, textiles and garment companies are operating well below installed capacities or have completely shut down.”
He claimed that farmers are abandoning cotton production in favour of food crops, causing a large loss of skills in the sector as workers in the value chain move to other industries to make ends meet.
Achimugu attributed the industry’s predicament to a lack of intentional and long-term support.
“The sector needs a deliberate jump-start. Seeds, farmer security, timely availability of quality inputs, insufficient mechanisation, and the absence of a minimum guaranteed price are among the issues,” he stated.
He demanded that a Cotton Textile and Garment (CTG) body be established and a carefully considered road map be created.
According to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade, Nigeria exported $18.18 million worth of cotton in 2023. This suggests that a small number of players are still exporting the cash crop.
