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Mandate:
The Swaziland Cotton Board is a category A Public Enterprise as defined by the Public Enterprise (Control and Monitoring), Act of 1989. It was established through an Act of Parliament in 1967 and was mandated with the following:
· Providing advice to the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives on all matters relating to the cotton industry in Swaziland
· To promote the development of the cotton industry through imposing stricter control measures on the procurement of planting seed by farmers to ensure a uniform and marketable final product
· To provide financial support for the activities of the Cotton Breeding and Entomology Research units based at the Lowveld Experiment station in Big Bend
· To administer the Cotton Improvement fund generated through a levy paid annually by all cotton producers to the Board
· To attend to any other matters related to the development of the Cotton industry as stipulated in the Act.
Activities:
The staff complement of the Board comprises the CEO, Cotton Breeder, Extension Officer and Administrative Assistant. The CEO reports to the Board, Public Enterprise Unit and the Ministry of Agriculture and co-operatives. The Technical staff in research and Extension is based at the Lowveld Experiment Station in Big Bend which is under the Agricultural Research Division.
According to the strategic plan for the period between 2002 and 2007 the Swaziland Cotton Board will continue with initiatives aimed at increasing overall cotton production, provide more information resources on marketing and to encourage the development of small-scale spinning industries. This will help add value on the cotton products produced by farmers such as lint. There is also a need to stimulate the development of oil processing industries to utilize by-products such as cottonseed.
In recent years the Board has also considered the potential of growing genetically modified cotton with improved insect and herbicide tolerance. At present, no research work can be undertaken on GMO's because the country still has no policy and legislation regarding transgenic crops. The Board therefore intends to work closely with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the country has a regulatory mechanism for products of genetic engineering.
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