Success of the cotton campaign in Mali: The CMDT optimistic after a good harvest and a promising start of ginning
The Chief Executive Officer of the Malian Textile Development Company (CMDT), Dr. Nango Dembélé, recently undertook a visit to the cotton subsidiaries in the East, Northeast, and Central regions from November 16th to 19th, 2022. The purpose of this visit was to assess the progress of the ginning campaign following a promising harvest compared to the previous one, which was marked by difficulties due to Jasside attacks.
During the tour, the CEO welcomed the successful start of the ginning campaign, highlighting the absence of major problems. The various subsidiaries, including Bougouni, Sikasso, Koutiala, Fana, East and Northeast, have all shown satisfactory progress in the ginning process, with encouraging rates and forecasts.
The CEO expressed his satisfaction with the efforts made to fight against Jassides, welcoming the effectiveness of the strategies put in place, including the use of innovative products suggested by the Institute of Rural Economy (IER). Despite the reluctance of some growers to adopt these new methods, the CEO hopes for a significant recovery in the next campaign.
In terms of forecast production, the WTDC expects a significant increase for the 2022/2023 season to 690.000 tonnes in 2023/2024. The CEO attributes this success to the continued subsidy and increase in the purchase price of seed cotton, as well as the technical measures put in place.
The CEO also pointed out that the marketing campaign is already in preparation, with an order of 2.000 tonnes being shipped to the port of Lomé. Regarding cotton markets, no cotton retention by producers has been reported to date, according to the coordinator of Bougouni.
In conclusion, the CEO expressed his gratitude to the cotton farmers for returning to the fields after the difficulties encountered, and praised the hard work of the CMDT workers as well as the technical supervision and production management. He called for an ongoing effort to ensure efficient shelling within the given timeframe.
