Mtwara City.
"Under Provincial Government directives, we must vigorously boost the cotton economy. In the future, Mtwara must expand its cotton output by more than threefold, answering the call for the great development of the cotton economy; expanding cotton exports; reducing acreage under food crops; adapting to the sweeping trend of agricultural production restructuring; and providing fresh momentum for the city's development."
Cotton cultivation in East Africa had always remained lukewarm, because the country's key investments were not focused on the textile sector. In the past, only three major cotton-producing regions had emerged: the northern cotton region centered on Nairobi, the southern cotton region centered on Bulawayo, and the Lake Malawi cotton-producing region. These three regions accounted for half of East Africa's cotton output. Beyond them were high-quality long-staple cotton regions such as Jezira and Somalia, along with various small cotton-producing areas dependent on cities.
The direct reason for the East African government's shift in attitude and its vigorous encouragement of cotton cultivation was the increase in German orders.
The most crucial outcome of German Chancellor Caprivi's trip to East Africa was making East Africa one of the raw-material supply bases for Germany's industrial development. Among the many raw materials East Africa could provide, its cotton was especially prized.
Germany was desperately short of cotton. By this point, Germany had become the largest textile-producing country on the European continent and ranked third in the world, behind only Britain and the United States.
More than 300,000 workers, nearly 400,000, were directly engaged in Germany's textile industry. Out of every ten industrial workers, one worked in textiles.
In 1892, Germany's cotton textile industry produced goods worth nearly 700 million Mark, thirty percent more than coal mining, Germany's second-largest industry, and forty percent more than the iron and steel industry.
However, Germany's coal