The newly constituted NACOTAN promises development

The newly certified executive of National Cotton Association of Nigeria with members of FACAN.

The newly elected president of the National Cotton Association of Nigeria (NACOTAN) Mr. Anibe Achimugu has indicated about thirteen ways the produce would be positively repositioned towards achieving the vision of President Mohammudu Buhari’s backwards integration policy of the economy to non oil sector of agriculture for wealth and job creation.

At the official handling over of the certificate of office by the National President, umbrella body of Federation of Agricultural Commodity Association of Nigeria (FACAN) Dr. Victor Iyama, the NACOTAN president promised that the newly constituted executives would ensure a unified voice towards cotton development both nationally and internationally through targeting of 400,000 smallholders farmers with an estimated two million dependants participating in various out growers scheme.

Mr. Anibe Achimugu also promised solution to areas of challenges facing the sub sector stated that “key constraint affecting the cotton sub sector such as high cost of providing extension services, the non adoption of appropriate farming technologies such as conservation farming, below average yields and production, poor quality, lack of appropriate legislation and enforcement of regulation, inadequate research and development will be given serious attention for solution “.

He was appreciative of the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, his counterpart Trade and Investment, Mr. Okechukwu Enelamah and CBN Governor but however indicated that the association would establish an operational affiliation with other cotton organizations globally in order to ensure studying and adopting of the best cotton practices towards ensuring market acceptability for the progress on the members and entire nation economically.

In his short massage to the association, the FACAN President, Dr. Iyama urged the executives to ensure the use of standard jute bags made of kanal for packaging saying it would checkmate hydrocarbon ones thereby preventing sub standard . He called on the government to politically support the sector, and this has been his hall mark since time of President Obasanjo. 

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Dr. Iyama said that “All of us in this sector must be challenged as I have said it severally during the time of President Obasanjo. It is agriculture that we can use to build Nigeria. We have never harnessed the opportunity we have in crude oil rather our leaders are just sharing the proceeds from the crude into personal pockets instead to use the money to develop agriculture. 300-400 billion naira can come from agriculture with strong political will at all levels of government. It is possible. I urged your association to ensure the use of jute bag from kanal for packaging. Your association must encourage the growth of kanal to produce enough jute bags so as to prevent challenges of sub standard occasioned by hydrocarbon”

Also the Minister of the Trade and Investment, Mr. Okechukwu Enelamah ably represented  advised the constituted executive to ensure unity towards assessing the incentives of government adding government would be more ready to deal with organized association than individual.