VOA慢速英语:Issues Slow Recovery of Kenya's Cotton Industry

Real estate agents usually handle property sales for other people. But ten years ago David Masika, an agent in Kenya, bought a cotton mill for himself.
房地产经纪人通常帮助其他人处理物业销售的问题。但是十年前，肯尼亚一位代理人David Masika为自己购买了一家棉纺厂。

The mill was Makueni Ginneries in Eastern province. It was operating with technology from the nineteen sixties. It produced only two hundred kilos of cotton in its first year under new ownership.
该棉纺厂就是位于东部省份的Makueni Ginneries，它还在用六十年代的技术在运营。在新老板的领导下，该厂第一年只生产了200公斤棉花。

Last year Makueni Ginneries sold six hundred thousand kilos, or about one thousand bales. It made its first profit since Mr. Masika bought it.
去年，Makueni Ginneries卖出了60万公斤棉花，约1000个棉包，自Masika购买以来首次实现盈利。

Business is good -- world prices for cotton are up. But David Masika worried that he might not have enough cotton to process if he invested in new technology.
生意好，是因为国际棉花价格上涨。但是David Masika担心，如果他投资新技术，他可能没有足够的棉花来加工。

DAVID MASIKA: “We got into this vicious circle where we then were wondering, do I completely modernize this thing when I do not know whether the cotton is coming?”
DAVID MASIKA：“我们钻进了这个怪圈，我们一直在想，当我不知道是否有足够的棉花时，那么我应该将技术完全现代化吗？”

Makueni is one of only four modern ginneries in the country. Kenya's cotton industry used to be strong. But almost twenty years ago a government agency collapsed. That agency had provided growers with a guaranteed price for cotton. Without that support, prices fell and so did production.
Makueni是全国仅有的四家现代化轧棉厂之一。肯尼亚的棉花产业一向很发达。但是近二十年前，一个政府机构垮台。该机构为种植者的棉花提供价格保证。没有这种支持之后，棉花价格下跌，产量也下降了。

Today, Kenya is part of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. AGOA is an American law first signed in two thousand. The goal is to help strengthen African economies by expanding American markets. It provides duty-free and quota-free treatment for certain clothing and other products.
今天，肯尼亚是非洲增长与机会法案(AGOA)的一部分。AGOA是美国2000年签署的一项法案，目的是通过扩大美国市场以帮助强化非洲经济。它提供了特定服装和其它产品免税免配额待遇。

Kenya says its clothing exports tripled from two thousand one to two thousand six. But Kenya's cotton and textile industry is concerned about meeting future requirements of the law.
肯尼亚称，2001年至2006年间，他们的服装出口增长了三倍。但肯尼亚的棉花和纺织行业对满足未来法律要求非常担忧。

AGOA countries have been operating under what is called a third-country fabric provision. This lets them use yarns and fabrics made in any country, not just AGOA countries. But starting next September those countries must be able to find the raw materials for their products regionally.
AGOA国家一直依据所谓的第三方纺织物条款来运营。这一条款允许他们使用任何国家生产的纱线和布料，而不仅仅是AGOA国家。但是从明年9月份开始，这些国家必须为他们的产品找到本地区的原材料。

Kenya's cotton industry wants the United States Congress to extend the third-country fabric provision. Micah Powon is chief executive of the Cotton Development Board.
肯尼亚棉纺业希望美国国会延长第三方纺织物条款的时间。Micah Powon是棉花发展理事会的行政长官。

MICAH POWON: “If [we get] an extension period of two or three years by AGOA, I confidently say that we will be able to produce enough cotton to meet local demand to qualify for the AGOA market.”
Micah Powon：“如果AGOA延长该条款两三年的时间，我自信地说，我们一定能够生产足够的棉花来满足当地的需求，获取进入AGOA市场的资格。”

African countries face not only a limited cotton supply and poor machinery. They also face problems with making cotton into fabric to produce clothing. Under AGOA, fabric is considered a raw resource that has to come from African countries instead of places like China.
非洲国家面临的问题不仅仅是棉花供应有限和机械设备落后。他们也面临着将棉花制成布料以生产服装的问题。按照AGOA的规定，纺织物是一种原材料，应该来自非洲国家，而不是像中国这样的的地方。