The financial year ending on 30th June 2010 was the fourth since financing of TCB statutory functions of regulating the cotton industry started being wholly financed by the government and those relating to promotion being met by the cotton industry itself. Some of the major events and activities during the period in question were as follows:-

- The cotton marketing season was officially opened at the village of Mayani in Musoma district. The season kicked off with a starting producer price of 360 shillings per kilogramme of seed cotton and reached 440 shillings after a government subsidy of 80 shillings per kilogramme compared of the 540 shillings paid to farmers in the preceding financial year. This is due to the effects of the world’s economic crisis.

- The 2009/10 marketing season witnessed a decline of cotton output by 27% from 368,697 bales in 2008/9 to 267,004 bales due to farmers reaction to anticipated low cotton prices in the wake of unfolding world’s economic crises.

- The 2009/10 financial reporting period witnessed the unfolding of the effects of the world’s economic crisis which started in the previous financial year, hence the low cotton princes this year, the low cotton yields which has made some of the cotton merchants failing to honour their forward contracts to deliver cotton.

- Ilonga anda Ukiriguru research centres continues with the efforts of undertaking research activities with a support from the sub sector through the Cotton Development Trust Fund by Financing the two centres' activities to the tune of Tshs 200,888,360 in this financial year.

- In this financial year TCB in collaboration with Tanzania Gatsby Trust continued to undertake the Cotton and Textile Development programme which seeks, among other things, to raise cotton productivity and output to 271,000 tons lint and domestic consumption of cotton to 51% by 2015.

- The achievement from the pilot of contract farming undertaken in Mara Region under the Cotton and Textile Development programme indicate increased yield of between 485 and 620 Kg per acre, improved cotton quality and increased level of transparency at buying posts.

- While the details on the activities undertaken by TCB are discussed in brief in this annual report a point worth mentioning here is that, TCB continues to struggle against the challenges of a growing mismatch between its core obligations to the industry and the manpower and financial resources available to achieve these obligations..


Performance Overview for the year 2009/10

Marco Mtunga
Director General