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| Photo Credited to Pixabay |
According to S.Obazel, pre-independence and in the 60’s Nigeria was geographically important to the world due to so many agricultural produce that actually mapped her out. One such product was cotton. Cotton is still needed all over the world, but processing the produce makes it better priced in the world market than in its raw form.
How C.Opara Start Cotton Processing Business in Nigeria and You too Can
Who can talk about cotton wool more than the man who started its processing first in Nigeria? C.Opara began cotton processing, more than 17 years ago. He began with the production of medical cotton wool in his Kaduna factory.
First, the factory burnt down accidentally. After its reconstruction, it was burnt down again during sectarian violence and Opara had to relocate to Ibadan, Oyo State, about five years ago.
He processed cotton for numerous uses and he said that the demand for the product is so huge that the entire West African sub-region depends on Nigeria. “We’ve not been able to meet the demand. There are so many uses for processed cotton. Cotton had no substitute; it is either cotton or nothing” as Said Opara
“I am instrumental to the establishment of four cotton processing companies in Nigeria. Right now, we have one in Lagos; another in Ghana is being established for my client. It all depends on the purse of the businessman; the factory can be manually run or automated.
The history of Opara’s cotton processing venture started when he discovered that people were fraudulently packaging polyester into ‘cotton’ products. He decided to do research on how to process and treat cottons locally.
The experiment was successful. It was a joint project between his company, Crystolene Venture Ltd and Kaduna Textile Company with Mr. Gwada then as General Manager Production.
The textile company treated the cotton while Opara did the spinning. “That was how the first indigenous cotton wool production emerged and I established the factory for processing cotton into wool” as said Opara
Equipment
On cotton processing, Opara revealed that a processor needs stainless steam boilers, steam drying system and card for carding the cotton into wool. Also rollers for rolling cotton into sizes and cutters for trimming the wool into various sizes.
According to Opara, the cost of equipment (imported and fabricated) is above N5 million aside the cost of the land and building.
Employment
Full production will require about 50 workers. Cotton processors are good creators of employment, which is why the government should help by helping cotton farmers, threatened by the collapse of the textile industry, to remain in farming.
A lot of these farmers had gone off into other things since they produced without selling. The government should encourage many people to go into cotton processing since cotton wool is in hot demand everywhere in the world, as said Opara.
Quality
Our cotton wool is much better and whiter than imported ones. Some imported ones from China are dust-like, made from short fibre cotton. “The government should discourage such low quality importation and more urgently, so the fledgling industry will not collapse.
Final Thought
Thank C. Opara for sharing this important information with us on cotton processing. We understand how cotton wool is because it can make you rich if you master cotton processing and have the financial capacity. It is only for big investors and you need the Government’s help for an investment in the cotton processing business.
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