Cotton growing in the Eastern Cape has been given a major boost by positive results released earlier this month by Cotton SA.

The results are from a project initiated by Eastern Cape’s largest textile manufacturer Da Gama who together with the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), Cotton SA, SA Cotton Producers Association and Empower Export Development and relate to the harvests of the first two trial areas - Tyefu and Qamata.

Commenting on the results which were released in May, trials manager Adam van der Westerhuizen says that “the results are exceptional and much better than expected”.

This initial harvest is to be followed by harvests later in the month of the remaining sites in Addo, Somerset East, Mortimer and Middledrift.

It’s a major milestone for the project which will ultimately result in some 36 000 bales of cotton being produced over the next three years in the Eastern Cape, the largest crop from this province in many years.

ECDC’s project development manager Ken Bern says: “In 12 short months much has been achieved. The project concept document has been completed while the steering committeehas also been established. Now there is funding for the business plan which explores the export potential of the project”.

“Funds to finance the farmer’s business plans and the cotton processing have been secured and investors are showing much interest in the cotton gin.”

According to Van der Westhuizen who comes with cotton growing experience in the Limpopo and Northern provinces, “the trials have gone exceptionally well” with yields from the two trial sites already averaging 4,5 tons per hectare. The quality of the cotton which is measured in terms of strength and length is also above average.”

He also has high expectations for next trail harvests.

This is good news for Da Gama, who has already bought the cotton from the projected 2 000 hectares which will be under plantation soon. It is expected that by 2006, some 6000 hectares will produce 36 000 bales.

“To my knowledge, this is the first cotton project of its kind. There have been similar projects but not quite of this nature or scale and none still exist,” says Da Gama joint managing director Bob Funnell.

He says what has made the project now feasible is improved seed selection and available irrigation which allow the crop to grow in the region. Another challenge which has stood in the way of cotton production has been the proximity of a cotton gin to process the seed cotton. This will be overcome with construction of the cotton gin, close to the cotton farms, due later this year.

Further, the project has in its favour that it is a private initiative, has involved the emerging farmers throughout the value chain making their involvement more sustainable and that the cotton is being given further value with its manufacture into an elite African-branded bed linen and towel range.

“It is enormously encouraging to know that the crop is sold before it is planted and that we are upskilling many people and will have created about 4 800 jobs once the project is in full swing. This project means a lot of positive things to a lot of people,” adds Bern.

For Da Gama who imports most its cotton, it means, amongst others, that the company can buy local.

However, with cotton being harvested only once a year, sustainability is crucial. This is being explored further by investigations into the feasibility of growing flax as the winter crop and incorporating skills and facilities from the cotton growing project.

The project funding is made up of Da Gama’s R70 million investment and a R60 million loan to farmers for wages, seeds, fertilisers, pesticide and management. Potential partners have expressed interest in farming as well as in the R15 million cotton gin.