Mozambican cotton exports dropped by 61 per cent less year on year (YoY) in the first nine months last year to $11.9 million, despite a rise in national production, statistics from the Bank of Mozambique show.
This was due to an 8-per cent reduction in the price of cotton fibre in the international market, the report said.
Cotton production in the country grew by 2 per cent YoY to 24,000 tonnes in 2024.
According to the 2024 budget execution data from the finance ministry, the production of cotton, one of the country’s main crops, fell short of the 40,000 tonnes forecast, meeting only 60 per cent of the target, despite exceeding 2023’s production of 23,516 tonnes.
Cotton production by area in the country grew to 96,523 hectares in 2024—up from 95,097 hectares in the preceding year.
The lack of rain in some regions due to El Nino, the continued abandonment of production in the province of Cabo Delgado, one of the largest producers in the country, and, excess production have caused prices to fall and this led to a subsidy to maintain producers’ income for the second year in a row, according to domestic media outlets.
Mozambique accounts for less than 0.5 per cent of global cotton production. In the 2022-23 campaign, 37,400 tonnes were sold.
