Burkina Faso stands as one of the leading cotton producers in West Africa, alongside Mali and Benin. Following a lukewarm 2023/2024 season, authorities are aiming for a recovery in the upcoming cotton season.
In Burkina Faso, the government plans to boost seed cotton production to 598,250 tons during the 2024/2025 cotton season. This decision emerged from the Council of Ministers meeting held on May 15.
The projected stock indicates a 55% increase compared to the previous year’s harvest of 383,144 tons. Specifically, authorities are targeting 595,000 tons of conventional seed cotton and 3,250 tons of organic cotton. These optimistic forecasts are based on expected growth in cultivated area, increasing to 706,500 hectares from 535,304 hectares the previous year.
“In 2023/2024, we observed that yields per hectare for conventional seed cotton improved by about 25%, reaching 827 kilograms per hectare,” highlighted Serge Poda, Minister of Industrial Development, Trade, Handicrafts, and Small and Medium Enterprises.
Moreover, the government also plans to allocate 11 billion Fcfa (18.2 million USD) to subsidize the purchase of inputs to support farmers. In Burkina Faso, cotton is mainly cultivated in the Hauts-Bassins region and the Cascades region.