In the past five months Ethiopia imported over 3,000 tons of cotton in order to meet the local raw material demand for textile industries. This was disclosed by the Textile Industry Development Institute (TIDI).

The Public Relation Director at TIDI, Bantihun Gesese, explained the Federal Government is trying to meet the local demand by importing and expanding cotton plantations in the country.

Raw material shortage is affecting the income Ethiopia would have generated from the export of textiles. This is reflected in the past five months revenue of the country, which is only one third of the target.

In the aim of easing the shortage of raw materials, the Ethiopian Government has introduced a new system which allows factories to cultivate cotton.

Commenting on this Bantihun said, factories such a Ayka Addis, Adama and Selin dewan textile factories are working on this regard.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency