The federal government has announced plans to revitalise Nigeria’s textile industry with the introduction of Bt Cotton, noting that the move would create massive employment particularly for Nigerian farmers in the country.
Bt cotton contains genes from Bacillus thuringiensis that make the cotton plant resistant to the cotton bollworm complex as the inbuilt insect resistance can lead to savings in chemical pest control and higher effective yields in farmers’ fields. He added that: “Statistics indicate that at its peak, between 1970 and1990, it comprised about 130 modern factories and supported numerous other ancillary firms, providing about 350,000 direct jobs and 1.2 million indirect jobs among farmers, suppliers, transporters, dealers, traders and exporters. Only about 33 factories remain standing and the local cotton industry is comatose, primarily due to lack of good seeds, low yields and high production costs associated with insect damage.