Team set up to revamp damaged cotton factories

Central African Republic (CAR) Prime Minister Celestin Gaombalet appointed on Tuesday a committee to coordinate the rehabilitation of two cotton factories that were vandalised during the six-month civil war that ended March 2003, Radio Centrafrique reported. The committee, chaired by Albert Ouakanga, who is the presidential economic adviser, will oversee the importation of equipment from the Cameroonian seaport of Douala to the CAR capital, Bangui. The committee will then oversee the installation of the equipment in the factories in Bossangoa, 305 km north of Bangui, and Bambari, 385 km northeast of Bangui. Gaombalet directed the committee to complete the rehabilitation before the 2004 cotton planting season that is due to begin in late February to early March. The radio reported that the team will be expected to submit weekly reports to Gaombalet. Members of the committee include other presidential advisors, officials from the prime minister’s office and those from the ministries of finance and agriculture as well as those from customs and tax services. Managed by the Societe de Developpement des Textiles en Centrafrique (Socadetex), the two factories were damaged during the civil war that ended on 15 March 2003 with Francois Bozize overthrowing President Ange-Felix Patasse. The Bossangoa cotton factory was reported to have been looted and its engines taken to neighbouring Chad. Cotton cultivation was also badly affected during the civil strife, as farmers were in hiding and could not harvest their crops on time. Cotton is the third major source of revenue for the government, after timber and diamonds. It is mainly cultivated by farmers in to north and the east central part of the country. The rehabilitation of the factories is expected to contribute to the improvement of living conditions in war-affected areas, where most cotton farmers live.