Ganda 07-08 Cotton production is expected to drop 55% from the previous year

Uganda's 2007-08 (October-September) cotton production is expected to fall by 55% from the previous year due to low yields, divergent opinions in the industry, and poor weather.　　The national enterprise Uganda Cotton Development Organization expects that this year’s cotton production will drop to about 60,000 bales (185 kg per bale), compared with 135,000 bales last year.　　The main reason for the decline in production was that cotton farmers in northern Uganda decided to switch to organic cotton, but the yield was too low. Organic cotton in northern Uganda was hit by pests, and farmers did not spray chemicals in time, resulting in poor harvests. There have been excuses and disputes within the cotton industry.　　 Thousands of hectares of cotton fields were destroyed by heavy rains in northern and eastern Uganda last year, causing farmers to lose crops.