(Ecofin Agency) - The Ivoirian government announced yesterday May 30 at the end of a Ministers’ council that it will maintain the cotton farm gate price at CFA265 per kg for the 2018-19 season, the same as previous campaign.

According to the 2017/2018 season balance-sheet report, the country’s cottonseed output jumped 28.5% to 421,646 tons, with a yield of 1.26 tons per hectare. “This improvement in yield was spurred by the real takeoff of the agro-industrial zoning instituted in December 2016, in addition to better climatic conditions and the use of higher quality seeds,” a statement indicated.

Moreover, the document pointed out that “the satisfactory level of yield combined with an acceptable world price level, made it possible to pay producers a gross income of CFA108 billion against CFA86 billion during the previous marketing year (2016-17)”.

The country’s cotton production is expected to reach 400,000 tons for the 2018-19 season with a stock of 442,000 tons, the second of such performance since 2013/2014.  Let’s note that cotton is grown by about 120,000 producers.

Espoir Olodo