• BOAD approves 50 billion CFA francs for Burkina Faso cotton

• Funds to buy 120,000 tons of inputs for 2026/2027 season

• Support aims to boost output after years of declining production

The West African Development Bank (BOAD) has approved 50 billion CFA francs ($88.2 million) in financing for Burkina Faso’s cotton sector.

In a statement on its website, the bank said the funds will be used to purchase 120,000 metric tons of agricultural inputs for the 2026/2027 cotton season.

The bank did not specify the inputs. Burkina Faso typically uses NPKSB fertilizers, urea, herbicides and pesticides, mainly to combat jassids, a major cotton pest.

The funding is intended to support farmers. No planting or harvest forecasts have been released for the upcoming season. Stabilising or increasing output remains a key challenge for the sector.

Cotton seed production for the 2025/2026 season is estimated at 336,812 metric tons, according to forecasts from the sector’s professional body cited by the Regional Program for Integrated Cotton Production in Africa (PR-PICA) in January. The estimate represents a 15% year-on-year increase, marking a return to growth after three consecutive seasons of decline.

Output fell from nearly 519,000 metric tons in 2021/2022 to 292,660 metric tons in 2024/2025, down 44% over the period, according to PR-PICA data.

Stéphanas Assocle