BREMEN – Ethiopia and its cotton and textile industries will be a core focus at the 35th Bremen International Cotton Conference which takes place March 25 to 27. The organisers of the conference, the Bremen Cotton Exchange and the Fibre Institute Bremen (FIBRE), are dedicating an exclusive part of the programme to the East African country.
“We chose Ethiopia as the guest nation in particular because it has both cotton production and an up and coming cotton processing industry,” said Axel Drieling from the Fibre Institute Bremen. “The country is currently going through an exciting economic transformation process in which cotton can play a major role,” added Elke Hortmeyer from the Bremen Cotton Exchange.
Representatives of Ethiopian trade associations and companies working in the country will be speaking on Thursday, 26 March 2020 where they will present a first-hand report on the situation in the country’s cotton and textile industry. The Ethiopian Ambassador to Germany, Ms. Mulu Solomon Bezuneh, is supporting the Cotton Conference. Representatives of the Ethiopian Cotton Association (ECPGA) will also provide information on the current situation in cotton production.
Representatives from the textile industry (the Ethiopian Textile Industry Development Institute, ETIDI and the Ethiopian Textile and Garment Manufacturers’ Association, ETGMA), as well as investors will also present an overview of the development in the Ethiopian textile and clothing sector.
During the session, visitors to the conference will have the opportunity to discuss current challenges in Ethiopian structural development. These include opportunities and possibilities for increasing product quality or the efficient establishment of vertically integrated value chains.
Ethiopia currently produces around 60,000 tonnes of cotton. The Ethiopian government is pursuing an ambitious cotton strategy with the goal of increasing cotton production to over one million tonnes a year over the next 15 years.
Another theme of this year’s show is circular economy and the consideration of the life cycle of cotton, viewed from different perspectives.
Up to 500 participants from all continents are expected to attend the Cotton Conference, with research and practice equally represented. The 35th International Cotton Conference forms the core of the Bremen Cotton Week. This includes meetings of the various cotton and textile trade associations, as well as the ‘Sustain’ conference, which this year will focus on future issues of the retail trade and its importance for the vitality of inner cities.
