Cotton production in Burkina Faso in marketing year (MY) 2022-23 is projected to rise by 16 per cent to 1.15 million bales compared to the previous MY, assuming average rains, low pest pressure and appropriate fertiliser use, according to estimates by the US department of agriculture (USDA), which forecast the harvested area during the MY at 675,000 hectares (ha), a 13 per cent increase from the previous MY.

The area under cotton harvest and the cotton production level for MY 2021-22 are estimated to rise by 7 per cent and 4 per cent compared to the previous MY to 595,000 ha and 990,000 bales respectively.

Though the country’s government subsidised about 50 per cent of fertiliser prices in the MY campaign,  logistics were an issue, USDA noted.

Based on Burkina Faso’s limited processing capacity, USDA’s forecast for consumption for MY 2022-23 and the estimated consumption for MY 2021-22 are 25,000 bales each.

The only spinning company in the country, La Filature du Sahel (FILSAH), can process about 5,400 tonnes of fibre into yarn per year. Approximately half of this yarn is sold to Europe, 26 per cent in the domestic market and 24 per cent to Sub-Saharan Africa.

The country’s cotton exports in MY 2022-23 are projected at 1.215 million bales, a 30 per cent increase from the previous MY due to available supply. Cotton exports for MY 2021-22 are estimated at 935,000 bales—down by nearly 12 per cent from the previous MY.

Stocks for MY 2022-23 are estimated at 10,000 bales. Estimates for stocks in MY 2021-22 are 100,000 bales due to delays in transportation.