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At a time when the new harvest is about to begin, West African cotton growers have to deal with the energy crisis. The surge in the price of diesel for ginning factories and inputs for crops has had an impact on the sector for several months and cotton growers are anticipating a difficult upcoming campaign.
Energy is an integral part of cotton production, because before being exported, it is transformed in ginning factories. And the necessary electricity is increasingly expensive for manufacturers, confirms Jean-Claude Talon, commercial and logistics director of Sodeco, the Beninese cotton company. ” In our production units, we alternately use the energy offered by public service providers and we also source diesel for our generators. This increases the costs, because we are subject to the prices offered by the international market. »
Following diesel supply disruptions during the last campaign, in Chad, the factories had to stop one after the other. The losses were significant. Ibrahim Malloum, Secretary General of CotonTchad, therefore took the lead: “ What we have been able to do to limit the consequences is first of all to try, during this inter-campaign period when activity is slow, to buy diesel and store it in our vats in order to be able to start the campaign quietly. »
Also stock up on fertilizer
Like many countries, Burkina Faso anticipates a drop in harvests due to the lack of fertilizer, but lessons have been learned for the coming year, explains Ali Compaoré, general manager of the Gourma cotton company: “ We have anticipated this year, already placing orders through calls for tenders. It must be recognized that last year, we took things a little late in terms of awarding these various contracts. »
Some states subsidized the purchase of inputs last winter. This is the case of Côte d’Ivoire. This must continue, insists Kassoum Kone, the commercial director of the Ivorian Cotton Company: “ The biggest uncertainty concerns the price of inputs for the coming season. This is a big worry, because we know the prices are not going to come down. And we ask that the state subsidy be renewed. »
A crucial subsidy for many West African producers seeking to increase productivity while remaining competitive for their big customer, Bangladesh.
► Also to listen to: Soaring fertilizer prices: concern of major agricultural countries