Cotton growers in Nigeria are losing out with rising demand for the commodity in the global market. They face lack of high quality seeds, poor access to extension services, low prices of the produce, pest infestation, price fluctuation, and a dearth of ginneries and textile mills.

Farmers want improved seeds, fertilizer, modern equipment like tractors for clearing of land and the right support. Farmers are also looking for viable markets. They say allowing foreign markets to determine the price of the produce has led to the death of cotton industry in the country. Production of cotton in Nigeria is dominated by small scale farmers.

The cotton industry in Nigeria used to be very viable, employing a large number of people. But this became history right from the 1990s. The capacity utilization which was more than 63 per cent dipped considerably. The number of textile mills dropped. The entire industry has virtually become moribund.

The Institute of Agricultural Research is the only institute mandated to work on cotton in Nigeria. But it is poorly funded and not able to function well and produce good quality seeds for farmers. The Central Bank of Nigeria has come up with a textile intervention fund to boost the sector.