WT/CFMC/W/76  
 
15 November 2018  
(18-7201) Page: 1/2 
Sub-Committee on Cotton  Original: English  
 
DIRECTOR -GENERAL'S CONSULTATIVE FRAMEWORK MECHANISM ON COTTON  
PROMOTING COTTON BY -PRODUCTS IN EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA : PROJECT BRIEF  
Communication from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)  
The following communication, received on 5  November 2018, is being c irculated at the request 
of UNCTAD . 
 
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1  BACKGROUND  
1.1.  Cotton remains an important crop in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), generating export 
revenues, value added and cash income for rural populations. A lthough cotton is grown primarily for 
its lint (the raw material in cotton textiles) other parts of the plant also have commercial value. For 
example, mature industries exist in many cotton -producing countries in Africa to process cottonseed 
into edible oi l and livestock feed. Nevertheless, technologies to add value to other parts of the cotton 
plant (such as cotton stalks, linters or ginning waste) are largely absent in African countries, 
amounting to unrealised economic opportunities.  
1.2.  Cotton by -products i ndustries are underdeveloped in ESA owing to several impediments, 
including: inadequate policies to support the development of cotton by -products industries; 
insufficient data to assess the viability of investments in cotton by -products; and a lack of 
information about value -added technologies available in other countries.  
2  THE PROJECT  
2.1.  The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) designed the technical 
cooperation project "Promoting cotton by -products in ESA " to address some of these gaps and assist 
ESA countries in capitalising on opportunities in cotton by -products. Together with its partners, the 
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the United Nations Economic 
Commission for Africa (UNECA), UNCTAD is implementing th e project from 2016 -19 in  the 
United  Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  
2.2.  The project aims to increase the value added to cotton by -products, contributing to:  
a. increased incomes for farmers, amounting to more incentives for them to grow cotto n; 
b. new investment opportunities for local businesses and entrepreneurs; and  
c. increased jobs and value added in the national economy.  
2.3.  In pursuit of these objectives, the project proposes two complementary tracks of 
capacity -building activities, organised ar ound two main stakeholder groups: a) commercial actors, 
including farmers; and b) policy makers. The project methodology leads commercial actors through 
a structured process to identify priority market opportunities for cotton by -products and formulate 
them into pilot commercial initiatives. In parallel, the project assists policy makers in drafting specific 
policies to support cotton by -products initiatives, in concert with national development priorities and 
strategies for the entire cotton value chain.  WT/CFMC/W/76  
 
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  3  PROGRESS TO DATE  
3.1.  UNCTAD commissioned surveys in each country, gathering baseline information about the state 
of cotton by -products, including stakeholders' views on what is needed to overcome impediments to 
their development. Survey findings informed multi -stakeholder capacity -building workshops in each 
country. At these workshops, UNCTAD also arranged for experts from the ICAR -Central Institute for 
Research on Cotton Technology (CIRCOT) in India to present their country's experience developing 
technologies  and value chains for cotton by -products.  
3.2.  Based on their evaluation of potential opportunities, participants at each workshop agreed on 
two or three priority cotton by -products to develop in their countries, as well as the policy 
recommendations necessary to support them, together comprising each country's National Action 
Plan to develop cotton by -products.  
3.3.  Each of the four National Action Plans prioritises the development of some combination of the 
following by -products:  
• Briquettes and pellets, from cotton  stalks and other biomass sources;  
• Mushrooms and fertilizer, from cotton stalks;  
• Absorbent cotton wool, from short -staple cotton; and  
• Removing the enzyme gossypol from cottonseed meal, allowing it to be used in poultry feed.  
4  NEXT STEPS  
4.1.  UNCTAD is currently working with the investment promotion agencies in the project countries 
to draft investment profiles to attract domestic and foreign investors for the selected value -added 
activities.  
4.2.  In addition to preparing investment profiles, UNCTAD will work with each  country to elaborate 
project plans for the selected commercial initiatives, to use in planning the next phase of 
implementation and seeking any necessary support from development partners.  
4.3.  In January 2019, UNCTAD will hold a study visit for participants f rom the project countries to 
ICAR-CIRCOT in Nagpur, India  to: a) demonstrate  cotton by -product processing technologies; and 
b) learn from commercial enterprises employing them, to understand their business models, 
operations and marketing.  
4.4.  The project act ivities will conclude with a regional workshop in mid -2019, where project 
countries, partners and donors will review lessons from the project activities and plan the next phase 
of implementation for the commercial cotton by -product initiatives.  
5  CONTACT  
5.1.  General information on the project, including the project document, newsletters, background 
materials and activity reports, can be found at the project site:  
http://unctad.org/ en/Pages/SUC/Commodities/SUC -Project -1617K.aspx  
 
Please address specific inquiries  to the following UNCTAD staff m embers:  
 
Project Leader:  Ms. Yanchun Zhang  
Chief, Commodity Policy and Outreach  yanchun.zhang@unctad.org  
Tel: +41 22 917 5790 
Project Officer:  Mr. Kris Terauds  
Economic Affairs Officer  kris.terauds@unctad.org  
Tel: +41 22 917 5931 
Logistics and administration:  Ms. Catherine Katongola  catherine.katongola@unctad.org  
Tel: +41 22 917 1648 
 Ms. Danièle Boglio  daniele.boglio@unctad.org  
Tel: +41 22 917 6286 
 
 
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