Ivory Coast cotton output rises 11 percent in 2014/15
- Reuters
- Jun 1, 2015
- 1 min read
Ivory Coast cotton output rose 11 percent to a record 450,000 tonnes in the 2014/2015 tonnes compared with the previous season on the back of favourable weather and more farmers, an executive of the cotton ginners association said on Wednesday.
The output was better than the expected 420,000 tonnes forecast at the start of the season, Christophe N’Dri said.
"This is a record. The increase in production is due to a combination of factors including good rainfall, better supervision of farmers and an increase in the number of farmers," N'Dri told Reuters.
"If the farmers keep this level of motivation, and if the weather is as good, nothing stops us from exceeding the 500,000 tonnes bar in the next season," he added.
Ivory Coast, the world biggest cocoa producer, was also one of West Africa's major cotton exporters, with an annual output of about 400,000 tonnes, before a 2002-2003 civil war split the country in two and halved production.
Cotton output has been rising steadily over the past five years, and authorities announced plans last year to boost production to 600,000 tonnes in the next two years.
Data from Ivory Coast cotton professionals association Intercoton, showed that more than 121,000 farmers were involved in cotton farming in the season for 414,000 hectares planted.
Cotton planting in starts in the second half of May with the first rains, and the harvest begins in late October before picking up in December.
(Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Writing by Bate Felix; Editing by Alison Williams)
Source: Reuters.com
