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Regulators, scientists and private partners align to boost farm productivity and restore domestic cotton supply for struggling mills, writes NICHOLAS UWERUNONYE
Nigeria’s renewed push to revive its long-declining textile industry is increasingly being anchored on a quiet, but consequential revolution in seed technology.
At the centre of this strategy is the deployment of BT cotton varieties, a move policymakers and industry stakeholders now see as a decisive step toward restoring the country’s once-thriving cotton– textile value chain.
That strategic direction came into sharp focus at the Mini Cotton Field Day organised by the National Agricultural Seeds Council in collaboration with Mahyco Nigeria PTE Ltd in Abuja.
More than a routine field demonstration, the gathering was framed as a national economic intervention designed to tackle a foundational constraint that has plagued the textile industry for decades: unreliable supply of high-quality cotton.
For years, Nigeria’s cotton production has remained trapped in a cycle of low productivity driven largely by poor seed quality, pest infestations and weak extension support.
Farmers often depended on recycled or adulterated seeds that produced between 900 kilograms and 1.5 tonnes per hectare, yields too low to sustain profitability or attract large-scale industrial demand.
The consequence was a steady contraction of domestic cotton output, forcing textile mills to rely on imports or operate far below capacity, while many others shut down entirely.
Officials and scientists now argue that BT cotton, with its built-in resistance to bollworm pests, offers a credible pathway out of this productivity trap. Representing the Director-General of the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency, Professor Abdullahi Mustapha, the agency’s Director of Agricultural Biotechnology, Dr. Rose Gidado, said the introduction of improved biotechnology varieties signals a shift toward science-led agricultural industrialisation.
According to her, pest-resistant BT cotton can significantly reduce pesticide use, cut production costs and raise yields, thereby improving farmer incomes while ensuring a more consistent supply of quality lint for textile manufacturers.
This productivity leap is central to the economic case being made by regulators and investors. The Bt cotton varieties currently demonstrated, Mahyco C567 BGII and Mahyco C571 BGII, were developed through collaboration between Mahyco Nigeria and the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and released under NASC’s regulatory oversight.
Field performance data suggest potential yields ranging from 3.5 to 4.4 tonnes per hectare, levels that could dramatically alter the economics of cotton cultivation in Nigeria and restore the crop’s commercial appeal.
Beyond yield gains, policymakers view seed system reform as an essential pillar of industrial policy. NASC, as the apex seed regulatory authority, has intensified efforts to ensure that only certified, high-performing varieties reach farmers.
By strengthening certification, variety registration and compliance enforcement, the council aims to eliminate the long-standing problem of adulterated seeds that has undermined productivity and eroded farmer confidence.
Officials say these reforms are not merely technical adjustments but part of a broader strategy to rebuild trust in Nigeria’s seed industry and attract private investment into seed production and quality assurance.
The economic implications extend well beyond the farm.
Cotton occupies a unique position in Nigeria’s industrial history, having once supported a vibrant ecosystem of ginneries, spinning mills and garment factories that provided employment for thousands, particularly across northern production belts.
The collapse of that ecosystem over the past three decades has been widely attributed to inconsistent cotton supply, rising input costs and policy instability.
As domestic production fell, textile manufacturers increasingly depended on imported lint and finished fabrics, deepening the industry’s decline and widening the country’s import bill.
Stakeholders at the Abuja field day argued that reversing this trajectory requires rebuilding the cotton value chain from the ground up, beginning with reliable access to high-yielding seeds.
Improved fibre characteristics associated with BT cotton, including stronger fibre length and better uniformity, are expected to align more closely with industrial processing requirements.
This alignment could enhance spinning efficiency, improve fabric quality and enable domestic textile producers to compete more effectively against imported alternatives.
Public–private collaboration has emerged as a defining feature of the current reform effort. The partnership between NASC and Mahyco Nigeria is seen as a model for aligning regulatory oversight, scientific innovation and commercial seed distribution within a single coordinated framework.
Through technology transfer initiatives, farmer demonstrations and stewardship training, stakeholders are working to ensure that biotechnology adoption is both responsible and economically viable.
Advocates argue that such structured partnerships are essential if Nigeria is to close its agricultural productivity gap while simultaneously rebuilding agro-industrial linkages.
The Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology Nigeria Chapter, which participated in the engagement, commended farmers for embracing improved seed technologies and urged policymakers to maintain rigorous science-based regulatory standards.
The group’s intervention reflects an ongoing effort to counter skepticism around biotechnology by emphasising evidence-based results, farmer experience and transparent biosafety oversight.
Yet, for all the optimism expressed by regulators and scientists, the success of Bt cotton will ultimately depend on adoption at the farm level.
The field day therefore placed significant emphasis on practical farmer engagement. Participants moved through demonstration plots, inspected boll development and exchanged experiences on planting density, pest management practices and post-harvest handling.
Early adopters from producing states reported higher returns, lower pesticide expenses and improved market prospects, outcomes stakeholders believe could gradually restore confidence in cotton as a viable commercial crop.
Regulators, however, cautioned that rapid adoption without strict quality control could undermine the very gains the technology promises.
Ensuring that farmers access only certified seeds, adhere to stewardship protocols and avoid seed recycling will be critical to sustaining long-term efficacy.
NASC has pledged to strengthen certified seed distribution channels and enforce compliance to prevent adulteration or misuse that could erode productivity gains and investor confidence.
From a macroeconomic perspective, the renewed focus on cotton aligns with Nigeria’s broader diversification agenda.
As the country seeks to reduce its dependence on oil revenues and expand non-oil exports, revitalising the cotton– textile value chain offers a compelling opportunity to generate rural incomes, create manufacturing jobs and stimulate value-added industrial growth.
A reliable domestic supply of high-quality cotton could reduce import dependence, conserve foreign exchange and encourage fresh investment into ginneries, spinning facilities and garment manufacturing clusters.
However, analysts note that seed innovation alone cannot fully revive the textile industry. Complementary investments in infrastructure, power supply, credit access and trade policy consistency will be necessary to translate higher farm productivity into industrial competitiveness. Without functional ginneries and modernised textile mills, increased cotton output may not automatically result in domestic processing gains.
The challenge therefore, lies in synchronising agricultural reforms with industrial policy measures to create a seamless value chain from farm to finished fabric.
Despite these structural hurdles, the Abuja field day conveyed a cautious but unmistakable optimism.
The visual impact of pest-resistant cotton standing robustly on demonstration plots served as a symbolic reminder of what coordinated policy, science and private-sector engagement might achieve.
For stakeholders, the message was clear: rebuilding Nigeria’s textile backbone begins with fixing its cotton productivity challenge, and biotechnology-driven seeds may provide the long-missing foundation.
As the engagement drew to a close, officials reiterated that the initiative is not an isolated experiment but part of a sustained national effort to restore Nigeria’s position as a major cotton producer.
Continued collaboration across research institutions, regulatory agencies, seed companies and farmer groups will be required to ensure that improved seeds are matched with effective extension services, stewardship training and market access support.
Whether the promise showcased in Abuja ultimately translates into nationwide transformation will depend on policy consistency, sustained investment across the value chain and continued public trust in science-driven innovation. For now, Nigeria’s bet on BT cotton represents a calculated economic strategy: that boosting farm-level productivity can supply the raw material base needed to reignite textile manufacturing, stimulate employment and reposition the cotton fields as a cornerstone of a revitalised industrial future.
