(Ecofin Agency) - Cotton producers from the Niellé basin have threatened to burn yields as a response to government’s decision to implement zoning. “We want no zoning on our farming lands; we will not be forced to belong to any cotton companies we do not want,” they said.

“We are being forced to work with a cotton company while, since the reconstruction of the sector, farmers, individually or in cooperatives, are free to choose the firm they wish to work with and terminate collaboration if unsatisfied. And this help boost the national output to more than 400,000 tons,” said one of the farmers.

Officials however said a month ago that the measure aimed to “optimize cost of transportation of cotton to industrial units, reduce losses during training, secure yields, insure professionalization and improve the living conditions of farmers. And these will be achieved through zoning of production areas”.

A dead end ? This is what the current situation seems like. Much more as Niellé’s farmers denounce a reform which was established without consulting with them. However, it must be highlighted that the policy was approved by Cote d’Ivoire’s inter-professional cotton association.

Despite the fact that zoning could not be welcomed by all firms namely the Société Ivoire Coton (SIC) and the Compagnie Ivoirienne de Coton which would respectively lose 49% and 63% to its implementation, officials say it will, in the long term, allow for the establishment of a plant per zone.

Cote d’Ivoire who planned to produce 600,000 of cotton by 2020 could have difficulties achieving these results because of this situation, a farmer from Niellé implied saying: “We wish to remain with our current partners; forcing us to tag with some cotton companies we do not wish to be with will only lead to a fall in production thus going against President Ouattara’s objectives who did a lot for us.”

Zoning or no Zoning ? That is the question.

Aaron Akinocho