Cotton Development Organisation

The Cotton Development Organisation monitors the production, processing, and marketing of cotton in Uganda. The organisation promotes the distribution of high quality cotton seed and generally facilitates the development of the cotton industry.

Established in 1994 by an Act of Parliament, it has the responsibility to monitor the production, processing, and marketing of cotton so as to enhance the quality of lint exported and locally sold, to promote the distribution of high quality cotton seed and generally to facilitate the development of the cotton industry.

Cotton is Uganda’s third largest export crop after coffee and tea. It is the main source of income for some 250,000 households, who cultivate cotton under rain-fed conditions and with minimal use of inputs, such as fertilisers and chemicals. Since the climate and the soil are very suitable for cotton cultivation, it is a very popular commodity among smallholders with an average farm size of 0.5 hectares.