The Kaduna Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (KADCCIMA), has expressed support for the new initiative of the Federal Government to revive textile-manufacturing enterprises in the country.

The trade group said the single-digit interest and long-tenured loans government planned to extend to operators of textile manufacturing enterprises was a practical demonstration of the regime interest in reviving the sector.

Abdul Alimi Bello, president of the Chamber, who made this observation in a statement made available exclusively to BusinessDay on Tuesday, described the government gesture as “laudable.”

“The KADCCIMA on behalf of its members wish to commend the effort of the Federal Government for the determination it has shown towards reviving textile industry in the country.

“We also wish to commend the governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emeifele for initiating a meeting with owners of textile companies and Cotton Growers in Nigeria where he pledged to support operators in the sector with a single-digit interest and long-tenured loans.

“The Kaduna Chamber of Commerce is indeed appreciative of the Central Bank governor on this laudable and commendable initiative which took place on Friday, 7th August, 2015,” he said. Bello, however, called on the CBN to replicate the earlier meeting held with textile stakeholders in Lagos and in the Northern part of the country, where most of the textile firms and cotton growers are located.

“As a leading member of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) with membership involved in both textile and cotton business, it is our sincere hope and belief that this type of meeting be replicated in the north where most of the textile firms, the cotton farms, and farmers are located.

“This will afford the CBN governor an opportunity to have a face to face discussions and interaction with the major stakeholders in the sector,” he said.

According to the KADCCIMA’s president, over 70 percent of the over 159 textile industries in the country are situated in Kaduna, and its surrounding towns of Kano, Zamfara, and Funtua, in Katsina State.

Similarly, he noted that majority, if not all the gunneries were also located in Northern part of the country, this was in addition to over 95 percent of the cotton farms located in the region.

“In the light of the foregoing, it has therefore become imperative for another meeting with stakeholders in Kaduna where we believe there will be more participation.

“Cotton is largely produced in the following Northern states including, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno states, among others. The Central Bank governor’s effort on the textile industry initiative can only therefore be more effective if a similar meeting with stakeholders in the sector from afore-mentioned states is replicated in the region, where the whole activities relating to textile industry are predominantly domiciled,” he said.