Mali will be the largest cotton producer in Africa for the 2021/22 season, followed by Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. A projection contained in a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report from September 28, 2021.
It results, in fact, from the exploitation of an almost record area and weather conditions favorable to the establishment and development of crops from June to early September, specifies the document whose authenticity has been confirmed by the Malian Company. for the development of textiles (CMDT).
Mali has planted a record 795,000 hectares (ha), up 630,000 hectares (382 percent) from the boycotted harvest last year, the document said. In addition, the American report explains that the Ivory Coast also sowed a record agricultural area of 460,000 ha, while Benin and Burkina Faso each sowed more than 600,000 hectares this year.
“I am very happy to see that the ginning campaign is in full swing and going very well thanks to the commitment and goodwill of the industrial staff of the CMDT”, declared Nango Dembélé, CEO of the CMDT, at the meeting. ‘a field visit last week to the Sikasso region, a cotton-growing area of the country.
USDA forecasts production of nearly 5.86 million bales for the African free zone, up one million bales (21%) from last year and down 59,000 bales (1 %) compared to the record harvest of the 2019/2020 season. This concerns the 2021/2022 cotton campaign.
Note that the harvested area should stand at 3.1 million hectares, up 710,000 hectares (29%) compared to last year and 5,000 hectares compared to the record area for the 2019/2020 campaign. . To celebrate this agricultural victory, the State of Mali will have to wait until the end of the compilation of the latest figures relating to the quantity of cotton produced this year.
