The China-Africa Textile Company has called on government to intervene on its $80 million (K61 billion) textile project in Salima. The firm’s general manager Shi Jingran told The Nation newspapers that lack of electricity is a major setback, otherwise the project is ready to roll out.

Jingran outlined that the machinery installation on one of the five lines of production requires 800 kilowatts (kW) of power is almost completed and ready to start production end August. “The machinery will require 3 100kW for the five production lines producing 30 to 40 metric tonnes (MT) of yarn.”

He then urged government to speedily introduce ‘zoning’ system of cotton production whereby companies will be given zones to invest inputs and buy from rather than indiscriminate buying which promotes side-buying at the expense of investing in farmers.

The much awaited and inaugurated Malawi-China textile company is expected to employ over 1,500 locals, which was aimed to be fully operational in June 2019. The textile project does the gunnery and weaving production leading to textile products; clothes among others.

With the cotton need production of 100,000 metric tones, the initiative is expected to benefit 200,000 farmers and 1.5 million households once the projects is fully in operational.