Boosting sustainability of west african cotton to be subject

 

of Mali round-table meeting, 28 February, 1 March

(Reissued as received.)

GENEVA, 25 February (UNCTAD) -- Improving the sustainability of cotton -– one of the main sources of livelihood for many developing countries, and nowhere more than in West Africa -– will be debated at a round table in Mali on 28 February and 1 March.

The meeting, organized by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in cooperation with the International Cotton Advisory Committee and the Common Fund for Commodities, will consider a draft report commissioned by UNCTAD on Improving the sustainability of the cotton sector in West Africa and possible follow-up action.  The report covers all seven countries in the region:  Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and Togo.

Cotton contributes 9 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in Mali and Chad.  It provides about three fourths of export earnings for Chad, two thirds for Benin and almost 60 per cent for Burkina Faso.  For several West African countries, the sector is also key to rural poverty reduction, with cotton-related activities accounting for a large share of rural employment:  about 6 million people are involved in the cotton industry.  In terms of contribution to foreign exchange earnings relative to other agricultural commodities, it ranks first in Benin, Chad and Mali, third in Togo and fifth in Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon (see table).

The negative impact on prices of cotton subsidies, particularly in developed countries, has been widely debated and is now widely accepted.  In this light, and as a result of the initiative by Burkina Faso, Benin, Mali and Chad, cotton has moved towards centre stage in the current World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations.

Notwithstanding the crucial importance of the WTO process, the sustainability of the cotton sector in West Africa from both the economic and the environmental viewpoints calls for a variety of actions focused and targeted on the sector.  West African cotton is of very good quality and cost-competitive.  There is much room for improvement in the operation of the value chain, however, from input supply to quality assurance and commercialization.  Such improvements could increase the value added retained in the producing countries and enhance the developmental impacts generated by the sector.  And given that cotton is a very input-intensive crop, the environmental aspect of input use is another important element of the sector’s sustainability.

Next week’s meeting is expected to generate ideas for concrete follow-up activities on enhancing competitiveness and sustainability -– in particular, improving organizational aspects for better participation in international value chains; developing quality and traceability; rationalizing input use and input markets; improving soil fertility; strengthening input supply, credit and financing systems; increasing value added; and developing markets for cotton of African origin.  The goal is to come up with a consistent, comprehensive and realistic set of actions directly related to the sector’s sustainability.  Since people who are actually involved in cotton production and trading will be making the proposals, the latter are likely to find support from the donor community and to resonate favourably with governments in countries covered by the project and elsewhere.

About 80 participants –- producers, traders, researchers, companies, governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from West Africa, Europe and North America -– are expected to attend the round table, which is being hosted by the Government of Mali at the Kempinski Hotel in Bamako.

The UNCTAD will issue a detailed profile on the cotton sector on 4 March, when it can be downloaded (in English and French) from www.unctad.org/infocomm.

Table: Cotton contribution to foreign exchange earnings

(relative to other agricultural commodities)

1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
- Antigua	- Afghanistan	- Colombia	- Honduras	- Côte d’Ivoire
- Benin	- Angola	- Mexico	- Mozambique	- Malawi
- Chad	- Bolivia	- Senegal	- Nigeria	- Cameroon
- Yemen	- Burundi	- Togo	- Peru
- Egypt	- El Salvador	- Central African Rep.
- Iran	- Guatemala	- Zimbabwe
- Mali	- Nicaragua
- Paraguay	- Pakistan
- Sudan	- Turkey
- Syria	- Uganda
	- Tanzania

Source: UNCTAD, www.unctad.org/infocomm/francais/coton/plan.htm.

Contacts: Press Office, tel.:  +41 22 917 5828, e-mail:  unctadpress@unctad.org; M. Arda (27 February–1 March), Kempinski Hotel, Bamako, Mali, tel.:  + 223 2223030, e-mail:  mehmet.arda@unctad.org.

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