This is a list of cotton-growing areas in Kenya. Cotton is one of the main cash crops grown in Kenya. Kenya currently produces an average of 25,000 bales of cotton, which is way below the current demand of about 200,000 bales. This means that a lot of cotton is imported from other neighbouring countries to cover the deficit.
Main areas where cotton is grown in Kenya
Cotton is drought tolerant and is mostly grown by small-scale farmers in semi-arid regions in the country. It takes about 6 to 8 months to mature. In Kenya, cotton is sown between April- June and harvested from November- February.
Below is a list of some of the areas where cotton is grown in Kenya.
- Siaya
- Lamu
- Homa Bay
- Tana River
- Embu
- Kitui
- Meru
- Machakos
- Part of Busia County
- Kirinyaga
- Makueni
Climatic conditions required to grow cotton
- Moderate to light rainfall as a lot of rain may destroy cotton balls.
- Temperature of about 21°C to 27°C
- Black cotton soil which should be fertile and well drained
- Adequate sunshine
Uses Of Cotton
- Cotton is a useful raw material for most textile industries as it is used to make products such as clothing, woven fabric, blankets and comfortable cushions.
- It is used by health facilities as one of the important tools when dressing wounds.
- Cotton is used by pharmaceutical companies to make different types of medical products such as first aid kits.
- It is used to make fishnets and coffee filters.
- Cotton seeds can be used to make oil which adds flavor to food. The cotton seeds are usually crashed to produce oil which can be used to fry vegetables, just like the common vegetable oils.
- Cotton can also be used in the production of soap and cosmetic products such as beauty lotions, body washes and shampoos.
- It can be used to make livestock feed and fertilizer by crashing the cotton seeds and processing them into the required form.
- Cotton is an important raw material used by processing companies which make paper, cardboards and other related products.
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