The financial year ending on 30th June 2011 was the fifth since financing of TCB’s 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 Malekano in Maswa district. The season kicked off with a starting producer price of 600 shillings per kg of seed
cotton but went up to 800 and 1200 in some areas at the close of the season

• The 2010/11 marketing season witnessed a decline of cotton output by 39% from 267,004 tons in 2009/10 to 163,517 tons due to farmers reaction to low cotton prices in the previous season.

• The 2010/11 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 prices this year, the low cotton yields which has made some of the cotton merchants failing to honour their forward contracts to deliver cotton.

• Ilonga and Ukiriguru research centres continued 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 491,899,727 in this financial year.

• In this financial year TCB in collaboration with the 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 achievements 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, these results has made the stakeholders to agree this farming to be introduced in all areas in the western cotton growing area in the 2011/12 farming season. 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 2010/11

Marco Mtunga
Director General