Zimbabwe earned US$5 million from cotton product exports during the first four months of 2026, representing a 252 percent increase from the US$1.4 million recorded during the same period last year.
In a statement yesterday, the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) said the significant growth reflects increasing demand for locally produced cotton products and demonstrates the importance of value addition in strengthening the country’s export earnings.
“The growth in export earnings underscores the importance of value addition and beneficiation within Zimbabwe’s cotton value chain.
Exporting processed cotton products generates significantly more revenue than the export of raw cotton and creates greater opportunities for industrial development and employment creation,” said Cottco.
The company noted that value-added products such as cotton shirts, fabrics and garments command substantially higher prices on export markets, making them critical to the country’s efforts to increase foreign currency earnings and boost economic growth.
“The increase was driven by exports of cotton lint, yarn, fabrics, garments, gloves and refined cottonseed oil, products that carry higher value on international markets than raw cotton,” the statement read.
Cottco said the latest figures demonstrate the potential of the cotton sector to contribute more meaningfully to national development if investment in processing and manufacturing capacity is expanded.
“Zimbabwe possesses the raw materials, skills and potential required to become a competitive producer and exporter of finished cotton products. Strengthening local processing capacity remains essential in unlocking greater value from the crop,” the company said.
Cottco acknowledged the challenges facing the industry but expressed confidence that ongoing efforts to revive the textile sector would help increase production and exports in the coming years.
“The cotton industry has an important role to play in industrialisation, job creation and export growth. Continued support for value addition initiatives and investment in textile manufacturing will be key to ensuring the sector reaches its full potential,” the company said.
The latest export performance comes as Zimbabwe intensifies efforts to promote value addition across key sectors of the economy in line with national industrialisation and export-led growth strategies.
