COTONOU (Reuters) - Cotton production in Benin plunged by more than a third during the most recent season, President Patrice Talon said in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde.

Output by Africa's third-largest cotton producer was 260,000 tonnes during the 2015-2016 season, Talon said, a drop from 394,000 tonnes in the previous season because farmers lacked pesticides or fertilizer.

Cotton is a major export for the tiny West African nation. Last month Talon ceded control of the sector to the professional cotton association after his predecessor seized it in 2012. The presidency said investors had been scared away by the state-run system.

(Reporting by Allegresse Sasse; Writing by Makini Brice)