Burkina Faso: The Government grants a subsidy of 10 billion XOF to make inputs for conventional and organic cotton accessible

Considering the importance of the cotton sector in the national economy, the Burkinabe government has decided to grant a subsidy of 10 billion XOF (16 million dollars) to make inputs for conventional and organic cotton accessible for the 2023-2024 cotton campaign, according to official sources.

Providing an overview of the cotton campaign, the Burkinabe government explained in a Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday evening that the national production of cottonseed in Burkina Faso is estimated at 405,790 tons for the 2022-2023 campaign, compared to 520,934 tons in the previous campaign, representing a decline of approximately 22% despite a 4% increase in cultivated areas nationwide.

The same source highlighted that the 2022-2023 cotton campaign was marked by an exceptional surge in fertilizer prices on the maritime freight market and the unavailability of fertilizer stocks.

The government made exceptional financial efforts amounting to 72.8 billion XOF (115 million dollars) to ensure affordable prices for agricultural inputs for cotton producers.

Despite this subsidy, the average field yield has experienced a 25% decline, standing at 650 kg/ha.

As for the projections for the upcoming 2023-2024 cotton campaign, the minimum purchase prices per kilogram for conventional cotton are set at 325 XOF (0.59 dollars) for the first choice and 300 XOF (0.50 dollars) for the second choice, representing an increase of 25 XOF/kg compared to the previous campaign.

The expected cultivated area is estimated at 740,000 hectares, with a projected production of 646,500 tons of cottonseed.

Faced with declining incomes, several thousand Burkinabe cotton producers had started to abandon the sector since 2006.

The cotton industry, which used to support the livelihoods of thousands of people, has also suffered a blow due to the deteriorating security situation, which has forced several farmers to abandon their fields.

Since 2009, gold has become the country’s leading export product, surpassing cotton, and the country has even lost its position as the top cotton producer in Africa since then.

Pedro Okalamar