By Laura Miranyi
The Cotton, Textile and Apparel (CTA) sector is a strategic and key pillar in the manufacturing industry and the Kenyan economy at large. The sector is labour-intensive and employs both semi-skilled and un-skilled workers.
The value chain includes cotton production, ginning, spinning, and weaving, apparel production and output sales and marketing. The ginning stages encompasses the removal of cotton fibres from seeds using cotton gin machine. After the ginning stage, the cotton fibre then goes through the spinning process to generate yarn, which is then knitted to make different varieties of fabric products.
Cotton industry has experienced significant constraints that has impeded its growth and development. There has been low participation of the youth in the lower chain of the Cotton, Textile and Apparel (CTA) sector, low quality and quantity of cotton produced, lack of extension services and farmer capacity training programs.
TKNP has provided a platform for the dissemination of knowledge to students and through the Directorate of Research and Innovation the Institute will collaborate with other higher learning and research institutions in cotton seed testing and breeding. TKNP will further lead efforts to offer capacity building of selected Farmer Unions and Cooperatives on cotton production and its value chain.
The Polytechnic will continue its community engagements programs aimed at equipping farmers with technical skills in cotton growing, establishing demonstration plots for displaying performance of hybrid varieties of cotton seeds, and extension services. This will promote the social and cultural dynamics of the society and improve the youth perception on cotton growing; while increasing the quantity and quality of cotton as raw material for the textile industry.
The Writer is a Communications Officer at Kisumu National Polytechnic College.
