COTONOU (Reuters) - Benin produced 250,000 tonnes of raw cotton in the recently ended 2012-13 season, up from 175,000 tonnes a year earlier, Finance Minister Jonas Gbian said.

He told reporters the increase in output had fueled a larger-than-expected 5.4 percent expansion of the economy during the first quarter of 2013, beating a 4.5 percent World Bank forecast.

Benin's national cotton company had foreseen a surge in production during the 2012-13 season after a jump in planting and an improvement in weather, matching rosy forecasts from other West African producers.

Benin's gross domestic product grew by 3.4 percent in 2012 to around $7.3 billion, making it one of the slowest growing economies in the region.