Nigeria has joined the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) as its 29th Member and 11th Member in Africa. This would help the country to enhance its cotton industry. Nigeria has been reinvigorating its cotton and textile industries for years as finished goods generate more revenue than exporting raw fibre, leading to higher incomes and new job creation.

The country is a key producer in West Africa and its membership underlines not only the importance of cotton to its economy but also the importance of the ICAC and its role in fostering a healthy and sustainable cotton economy for its Members. The ICAC is working hard to increase yields in Member states and for Africa in particular; there should be no reason why yields in most if not all cotton producing countries cannot be doubled’.

ICAC is currently working on two major initiatives that would hold great promise in Nigeria. These include an interactive, voice-based Soil and Plant Health app that allows farmers to diagnose and treat pests and diseases right in their fields, even if they are illiterate, and a Virtual Reality training program that will allow scientists and researchers to ‘visit’ a cotton field and view best practices, seeing the plant in various stages of development in a short period of time, all without leaving the classroom.