The CFA zone remains Africa's primary cotton production hub. After a promising rebound in the 2023/2024 season, recovery prospects for 2024/2025 are facing a tougher reality due to climate uncertainties and ongoing pest and disease challenges.

Seed cotton production in the CFA franc zone reached 2.3 million tons in the 2024/2025 season. This represents an 11.5% drop from the 2.6 million tons produced the previous season, according to data from the Regional Program for Integrated Cotton Production in Africa (PR-PICA) in its latest bulletin published Wednesday, July 16.

Production Decline Explained

Tété Awokou, PR-PICA president, attributed this setback to irregular rainfall and challenges in managing pest infestations. He emphasized that the 2024/2025 cotton season, which just ended, saw erratic rainfall and low pest pressure in the Program countries, with the exception of jassids, which were present throughout the cotton cycle with moderate to severe infestations.

Furthermore, PR-PICA's November bulletin had already highlighted the impact of flooding that affected many West and Central African cotton-producing countries in the second half of 2024. The organization warned at the time that localized flooding observed in most countries in October caused parcel losses and basal boll rot, which could negatively affect expected seed cotton production.

Overall, seed cotton production declined across all countries in the region, except for Senegal and Benin. Senegal recorded a 19.4% increase in production compared to the previous season, reaching 15,514 tons. Benin's sector saw a 1% rise, bringing its total to 637,697 tons.

Despite its relatively smaller output, Senegal stood out for its productivity. The WAEMU's second-largest economy achieved a remarkable 50% increase in yield compared to the previous campaign, reaching 1.26 tons per hectare. According to PR-PICA, this is the highest productivity level in the CFA zone, where the average is 960 kilograms per hectare.

Last May, Papa Fata Ndiaye, Director General of Senegal’s Société de Développement et des Fibres Textiles (Sodefitex), attributed these productivity gains to using improved seeds developed in collaboration with Brazil, the world’s third-largest cotton producer after China and India.

Despite a 4.8% drop in its output to 656,751 tons, Mali retained its position as the leading cotton producer, ahead of Benin (637,697 tons).

By the end of the 2024/2025 campaign, Côte d’Ivoire made a surprising entry into the top three, with a harvest of 311,647 tons, surpassing Cameroon. According to PR-PICA data, the WAEMU’s largest economy was followed by Burkina Faso (292,660 tons) and Cameroon (284,613 tons), which ranked fifth this season. Notably, harvests in these three countries declined by 21%, 24.4%, and 27.8%, respectively.

A Tense Start to the 2025/2026 Season

As the 2025/2026 cotton season began in early May across all countries, climatic conditions are already raising concerns. According to Mr. Awokou, rainfall difficulties have been observed in most countries, resulting in low to moderate sowing rates as of June 30.

The PR-PICA noted in its information release that as of June 30, compared to the 2024/2025 season, planted area decreased in Benin (-79,327 ha), Cameroon (-75,330 ha), Côte d’Ivoire (-66,976 ha), Mali (-22,599 ha), and Chad (-38,600 ha). However, an increase was recorded in Burkina Faso (+29,302 ha), Senegal (+6,471 ha), and Togo (+129 ha).

While it is still too early to draw conclusions about this season’s production, this preliminary assessment already points to mixed performance at the regional level. Despite this, the organization is counting on the appeal of farmgate prices set in each member country to attract farmers and encourage them to expand their cultivated areas.

The PR-PICA bulletin also stated that the purchase price per kilogram of seed cotton remains unchanged in all countries compared to the 2024/2025 season, except in Cameroon, where a decrease of 10 CFA francs has been recorded.

Stéphanas Assocle