Government has reaffirmed its commitment to revitalising the cotton-to-clothing value chain, describing it as a key pillar in Zimbabwe’s industrialisation and economic transformation drive.
Speaking after touring Archer Clothing in Bulawayo, last Friday, Industry and Commerce Minister, Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, said the sector remains one of Government’s priority agro-value chains.
“We are working very closely with the Ministry of Agriculture to see how we can really focus on these value chains as key drivers of our economic transformation agenda towards Vision 2030,” he said.
Archer Clothing, a unit of Paramount Garments, employs more than 1 000 workers, most of them youths.
“I was really pleased to see that most of the people on the production floors are young. They are producing not less than 120 000 units every month and more than half of that is for the export market,” said Minister Ndlovu.
He said while the company was performing well, there was need for increased support, particularly through enhanced domestic uptake of locally manufactured products.
“Be it Government institutions, the private sector, mining companies or the agriculture sector, we are going to be engaging to see where we can promote local uptake because our focus is that as a country we need to support local production,” he said.
Minister Ndlovu said improved local demand would enable companies to achieve economies of scale and compete more effectively on export markets.
“That will enable them to really have these economies of scale and be able to export more competitively,” he said.
He noted that although Paramount Garments still imports a significant portion of its raw materials, it has started sourcing locally, including from David Whitehead, helping to strengthen domestic industrial linkages.
“Overall, I am very happy that we have this kind of production in the cotton-to-clothing sector, which gives us hope to support the cotton grower as well as the entire value chain,” he said.
Minister Ndlovu said Government is prioritising 15 key value chains, with cotton-to-clothing among them, as part of efforts to accelerate progress towards Vision 2030.
“We have looked at the entire ecosystem of the agro-value chain and we are finalising the finer details on how we can grow these sectors,” he said.
Cotton remains a strategic national asset in Zimbabwe, supporting over 400 000 rural households and anchoring a wide industrial value chain, while generating foreign currency and employment. However, production has declined sharply from over 350 000 tonnes in 2012 to just 13 757 tonnes in 2024, despite a brief recovery in 2023.
The Agricultural Marketing Authority says urgent stakeholder engagement is needed to develop a sustainable production model and revive the sector, amid growing recognition of its importance to the entire cotton-to-clothing value chain.
