Tanzania has embarked on a plan to enhance its cotton productivity. While production was 3,50,000 tons in 2011-12, it went down to 246 tons in 2012-13, slumping further to 201 tons the following year. Lack of a reliable input supply system and frequent changes in world market prices are affecting performance in yield per hectare.
There has been an increase in cotton farming and ginning capacity with the number of ginneries increasing from 36 in 1993 to 56 ginneries now. The number of cotton buyers has also increased to about 35 companies. The problem of poor seed germination can be dealt with through contract farming where farmers' business groups will be centers of cotton sales and custodians of their own products. In contract farming, the system of using cotton agents' ginners would be abolished. Such a model of cotton production will not only assure farmers of better seeds for planting but will also ensure quality yields and high income since cheating through weighing scales will no longer be there Tanzanian cotton, is 100 per cent rain fed and is produced by small scale farmers owning farmland of between two to 10 hectares. An average 4,00,000 hectares is grown each season at an average 300 kg per hectare yield.