The drive to restore Ghana’s textile industry could lose momentum unless the government takes decisive steps to rebuild cotton production from the ground up, the Legacy Crop Improvement Centre (LCIC) has warned.
According to the Centre, the absence of a coordinated national framework for cottonseed development continues to undermine efforts to rejuvenate the sector, leaving manufacturers dependent on imports and vulnerable to external shocks.
In correspondence submitted to the Minister of Trade, Industry and Agribusiness, LCIC stressed that current textile revival initiatives focus heavily on factories and finished goods while neglecting the agricultural foundation on which the industry depends.
“The journey of every textile product starts long before the loom or sewing machine—it starts with the seed in the soil,” said Dr. Amos Rutherford Azinu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of LCIC. “Without a reliable seed system, there can be no sustainable textile industry.”
Ghana, once recognised as a hub for textile production in West Africa, now imports the bulk of its cotton to keep local factories operational. Yet the textile and garment sector remains a key economic opportunity, supported by strong demand for African-inspired fabrics and export prospects to regional markets and the United States under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
LCIC cautioned that reliance on imported cotton exposes the industry to currency fluctuations, international price instability, and supply chain interruptions, all of which erode competitiveness and planning certainty for manufacturers.
“We cannot strengthen the superstructure while the base remains neglected,” Dr. Azinu said.
The Centre noted that rebuilding a domestic cottonseed and farming system would deliver multiple benefits, including reduced import dependence, expanded employment in rural areas, improved coordination across the value chain, enhanced quality assurance, and broader agricultural diversification.
LCIC estimates that a revitalised cotton sector could support thousands of smallholder farmers while ensuring a steady supply of quality raw materials for Ghanaian textile factories.
The organisation also pointed to several systemic weaknesses holding back progress, such as limited research and breeding capacity, inadequate extension support, outdated ginning facilities, weak transport and storage networks, fragmented farmer organisations, inefficient pricing structures, and gaps in technical skills development.
To close these gaps, LCIC called for the establishment of a National Cotton Development Authority with the mandate and resources to coordinate seed research, farmer engagement, processing infrastructure, and market access.
Drawing lessons from Asia’s leading textile economies, Dr. Azinu argued that success is built on strong domestic linkages.
“Major exporters like Bangladesh and Vietnam invested deliberately in integrated systems that connected farmers to factories,” he explained. “They did not outsource their raw material base. Ghana must take a similar path.”
He emphasised that true industrial revival cannot be sustained without domestic inputs.
“Without local cotton produced from locally developed seeds, our textile ambitions will remain theoretical,” he said. “The future lies in Ghanaian farmers supplying Ghanaian factories with cotton that meets global standards.”
LCIC is an indigenous Ghanaian seed company based in Otarese in the Eastern Region and is widely recognised for its role in advancing agriculture-driven industrialisation. The Centre combines commercial seed production with strategic policy advocacy aimed at strengthening both the textile and agricultural sectors.
Its operations include a 200-acre irrigated farm and a 50-ton seed gene bank supported by cold storage facilities, enabling the development and conservation of improved seed varieties. Through these efforts, LCIC has played a key role in reinforcing Ghana’s commercial seed ecosystem and promoting long-term food security and sustainability.