Is Mali finally to reconnect with the good times of cotton farming? The Sahelian country is forecasting a record cotton crop of 750 000 tonnes for 2018/19 due to higher than expected rainfall.
This record taken by the Malian Chamber of Agriculture (APCAM), restores the country on the podium. As the leading producer of cotton in Africa, Mali is hard-pressed by Burkina Faso, much less fit because of the consequences of genetically modified crops. Burkina Faso, which lost its leading position in the sub-region in 2017 for the benefit of its neighbor, produces an annual average of 600,000 tons of seed cotton, or about 250,000 tons of cotton fiber, according to official figures. Nevertheless, only 2% of fiber is processed locally in both Burkina Faso and Mali.
In general, West Africa is on an uptrend. West African cotton exports are expected to exceed the 2017/18 record to reach 969,000 tonnes in 2018/19, rise of 5.2% estimates the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), quoted by the site Commodafrica.
Exports are mainly driven by Burkina Faso and Mali, which will see their production and export growth in 2018/19. West African cotton is mainly directed to South and Southeast Asia where consumption is growing rapidly. In particular, in Bangladesh, the world’s largest importer of cotton, which has recently opted for West African cotton instead of Central Asian cotton.
These different trends will be debated during the 5th edition of the International Textile Exhibition of Africa (SITA) will be held from 28 to 30 November 2018 in Ouagadougou.
