Reviving Egyptian cotton

A new United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) project will help revive the Egyptian cotton industry, which produces high quality fiber known the world over as “white gold.” Although a significant pillar of the Egyptian economy, the textile sector plays a marginal role in the global textile value chain due to the absence of innovation, lack of a skilled workforce, high input prices, inefficient agricultural practices and an inability to meet international market needs. The two-year project will enhance the sustainability, inclusiveness and value addition of the country’s cotton value chain, achieved by encouraging sustainable agricultural and non-polluting production practices and improving the national mechanisms for quality assurance and organic certification.