German-Ethiopian
Textile Business Partnership

As capacity building for cotton producers continues, Partner Africa-Ethiopia (PAE) is facilitating the organic certification process to be concluded this year for two extended cooperatives in Gamo and Wolaita zone of the South Ethiopia Region. The region is previously known with the first and only organic cotton certified smallholder farmers in Shele Mela cooperative of Gamo Zone. The strong support of the regional and zonal agriculture departments and the commitment of smallholder cotton farmers facilitated the expansion of organic certification of cotton which gave a vision to make these zones as organic cotton corridor of Ethiopia. The organic certification process is being handled in collaboration with Pesticide Action Nexus association (PAN Ethiopia) which pioneered smallholder farmers organic cotton certification with Shele Mela cooperative since 2017.

The ongoing organic cotton farming in these zones mitigated the negative impacts of agrochemicals on human health and the environment, enabled framers to be experts of their own farm and crops, obtain better yield and have access to a better market with a premier price for the quality cotton. The current expansion of organic cotton certification consists of a total of 851 farmers from Gamo and Wolayita zone and it will comply the European Union (EU) standards. The organic certification which starts from cotton will continue throughout the value chain till it reaches at the garment and fashion level to meet the recurring high consumer demand.