LOME (Reuters) - Togo's 2012-13 raw cotton output will total 82,000 tonnes when the season ends next month, sharply below the country's 100,000 tonne forecast, according to a report from Togo's NSCT cotton authority obtained by Reuters on Monday.
The report blamed the expected production shortfall in the West African state on poor growing conditions and inadequate use of pesticides and fertilizers.
Cotton is one of Togo's key export earners alongside phosphates. Togo produced 79,700 tonnes of raw cotton last season on 99,000 hectares.
Cotton output has rebounded from a low of 29,000 tonnes in 2009-10 as an increase in farmgate prices encourages farmers to boost planting. Some 122,000 hectares in Togo were devoted to cotton during the current June-May season.