Kenya Textile Giant Welcome Recovery, Driving Cotton Planting And Agro Chemical Industry Development

Rivatex, a textile manufacturer based in Eldoret, has undergone a major renovation. This will bring new market opportunities for Kenya cotton growers and Agro chemical enterprises.

After the government of Kenya obtained 5 billion shillings from the import and export bank, which is based in the United States, the facilities of the textile factory were upgraded and the most advanced textile machinery was installed.

Since the collapse of Kenya's textile industry, Kenya textile production giant Rivatex has been dormant for many years.

In 2017, during the visit of Eldoret President Uhuru to Eldoret, the factory was ordered to resume, and the factory finally came to the turn of recovery.

Thomas Kipkurgat, general manager of Rivatex, recently said that at least 500 thousand acres of cotton were needed to meet the cotton processing needs of the company.

He disclosed that the plant was able to handle 40 tons of cotton every day, but the actual processing capacity was 12 tons per day. Before upgrading the facilities, the factory could only process 2 tons of cotton per day. Rivatex is currently importing cotton flowers from neighboring Uganda and Tanzania.

Kipkurgat said that in order to meet the growing demand for cotton, Rivatex has signed a cotton planting agreement with 24 counties in the rift valley and the eastern region, including Elgeyo Marakwet, West Pokot, Baringo and Kitui, which will reduce dependence on imported raw materials and reduce operating costs.

"We encourage local farmers to grow cotton on a large scale because the market is ready," Kipkurgat said.

In fact, the revival of Kenya's textile giant has also led to the development of Kenya's cotton planting and Agro chemical industry.

Kipkurgat said: "we have provided cotton seeds to the counties where we have cooperation. We will provide insecticides in the coming months, as we seek to promote the production of raw materials".

In addition, once approved by the national police, the company is also ready to start producing fabrics for police uniforms, because the quality of their cloth meets the requirements.

"We have not faced any challenges in producing police uniform textile materials.

We assure the state that we have the capability to work together with the National Youth Service Bureau to produce fabrics and uniforms, "Kipkurgat said.

In addition to police uniform fabrics, the company also produces military and medical uniform fabrics.

In addition, the company also plans to start making clothes for ordinary people, which will further increase its demand for cotton.

"We are positioning ourselves for the production of clothing for local and global markets," Kipkurgat further revealed. "The modern production plant will create employment opportunities for more than 2500 graduates from technical institutes."

Kenya's textile and clothing sector has the potential to play a key role in the economy, and the revival of the textile industry will stimulate market growth in Kenya's cotton growing industry and Agro chemical industry.