Identifying cotton as a key driver for the manufacturing sector, Kenya has earmarked the cash crop in its ‘Big Four’ action plan as a multipurpose crop with the potential to turn around the collapsed textile industry, with lint and seed being the principal products. Yields, however, remain low, with the annual production recorded at 25,000 bales last year. Scientists say the main challenge is pest infestation, which has reduced the average harvest of cotton lint and seed to 211 and 373 kilograms per hectare respectively.

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