The increase in the World Market price of Cotton, according to Mr Sulemana Bakpa Mumuni, Supervisor of the Regional Marketing Group (RMG), Cotton Division for the Sissala area in the Upper West Region, gives farmers a ray of optimism.
He said farmers in the area were reaping good results from cotton cultivation, following an 11.1 per cent increase in the price of a kilogramme of the crop.
The price has jumped from GHC2.25 pesewas per kilogramme to GHC2.50 pesewas per Kilogramme for the 2021 cropping season.
Mr Mumuni told the GNA at the weekend in Tumu that the quantity of cotton expected to be cropped for the 2021 season was pegged at 10,000 acres out of which the Sissala area was expected to cultivate 3,500 acres.
Mr Mumuni said the increase in world market price was a blessing to the cotton farmers and that currently, the Cost per acre remained at GH¢650 the same as the last farming season.
Mr Kassim Sulemana, a former Chairman of Cotton Farmers Association in the Sissala East Municipality, said cotton cultivation in the Sissala area was on the low side compared to the previous years.
He claimed that despite the government’s efforts to resurrect the factory, no progress had been made.
He ascribed the development to a lack of cotton-picking equipment, the central government’s lack of attention to the sector, and the lack of high-quality, trustworthy seed for cotton production.
He advocated for increased support for local farmers in order to keep the cotton business afloat.
Image Source: bakhabarkissan.com
