Cotton made in Africa grows further

12.02.2014

Initiative Publishes New Data on Production and Sales

Smallholder cotton farmers in even more countries in Sub Saharan Africa cooperate with the Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) initiative. For the first time, smallholder farmers from Ghana profit from the CmiA program. Additionally, CmiA expands its work in Zambia, Zimbabwe and Ivory Coast. Currently, about 435,000 smallholder farmers and their family members included more than 3.2 Mil. people in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Ivory Coast und Ghana are part of the initiative. Thus, Cotton made in Africa significantly contributes to improving the living conditions of smallholder farmers in Sub Saharan Africa by means of aid by trade. Independant 3rd party organisations verify that the CmiA-cotton is grown and processed according to the sustainability criteria of the CmiA standard. That means that CmiA verified cotton is grown by smallholder farmers. In addition, participation in the program forbids slavery, human trafficking, child labor according to ILO conventions, deforestation of primary forests, or the use of genetically modified cotton.

On average, a CmiA farmer owns a 1.33-acre field for growing cotton. With his income he has to take care of his whole family of up to seven family members. International textile companies like PUMA, C&A, the Otto Group or Rewe are partnering with the initiative. They are specifically interested in purchasing sustainably produced CmiA-cotton, process the cotton into textiles and pay a licensing fee to the foundation. In 2007 Cotton made in Africa was introduced to the German market with 400,000 units, which grew to around 35 million textiles by 2013. For 2014 the initiative projects sales of around 45 million units.

The smallholder cotton farmers and their families directly profit from this positive development as the AbTF reinvests the licence income in the cotton growing regions, e.g. for agricultural trainings or community projects promoting the expansion of school infrastructures in rural areas.
Get to more about the new CmiA facts and figures here.

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