Cotton exports from West Africa for 2018-19 are projected to surpass last year’s record, driven by record production, according to the US department of agriculture (USDA). West Africa comprises 12 cotton producing countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo.

Of the 12 nations, Mali and Burkina Faso are the largest producers and are forecast to have record crops amid expanding area, the Foreign Agricultural Service of the USDA said in its monthly report ‘Cotton: World Markets and Trade’.

West Africa accounts for more than three-fourths of Africa’s cotton exports. Nearly all of West African cotton is exported, as mills are sparse within the region, signifying the pivotal role that foreign demand plays for West African producers and merchants, the report says.

South and Southeast Asia are the predominant destinations for West African cotton. It is due to the robust growth in consumption in these Asian regions. Bangladesh, the world’s largest importer, has recently opted for greater supplies from West Africa over Central Asian origin.

“Record exports in the midst of record global use in 2018-19 will underscore the importance of cotton as a vital cash crop for farmers and a prominent source of foreign currency for West African countries,” the report concludes. (RKS)