(Ecofin Agency) - At the end of the 2016-17 cotton season, Cote d’Ivoire should produce 360,000 metric tons of the crop. Thout this output is 16% above the last season’s where production was hampered by a poor weather, it still remains below the 2014-15 season’s 450,000 tons.

Christophe N’dry, executive secretary of Ivorian cotton ginners association, who revealed the statistics in a statement said: “It had started raining well in the north and everything is going well. In the centre however, it came too late.

The executive also highlighted that 340,000 hectares were dedicated to cotton farming for about 94,000 farmers this season. The year before, the nation had 113,500 cotton farmers but most of them had to drop out due to debts from the previous season. 

Ivory Coast aims to produce 600,000 tons of cotton by 2020. It should be recalled that the country used to produce around 400,000 tons before the 2002 civil war after which it was halved.

Aaron Akinocho