Togo: Cotton Output Dipped Again in Recent Season

Agriculture

Wednesday, 05 July 2023 13:16

Togo: Cotton Output Dipped Again in Recent Season

(Togo First) - Togo produced 46,549 tons of cotton in the 2022-2023 season. This is 11% less than the previous season’s output–52,528 tons. The figures were presented by the National Federation of Cotton Producers' Groups of Togo (FNGPC) on June 30, in Kara, as part of the Federation’s annual report presentation.

In the 2022-2023 campaign, a total area of 66,017 hectares was farmed, with a yield of 705 kg per hectare, as compared to 68,708 hectares with a yield of 765 kg per hectare the year before.

Between 2019 and 2023, the country’s cotton output fell by 66%; from 137,266 tons to 46,549 tons. The FNGPC attributes the plunge to "producer demobilization, the impact of weather fluctuations, and most importantly, the invasion of new pests." Indeed, some cotton farmers have switched to growing soybeans, a cash crop, due to its more favorable market conditions, increasing demand on both national and international markets, and a guaranteed outlet through the PIA (Agricultural Investment Program) with the support of MIFA (Agricultural Finance Incentive Mechanism based on risk sharing).

For the coming season, the FNGPC forecasts Togo’s cotton output at 93,500 tons minimum, grown over 110,000 ha, which translates into an average yield of 850 kg per hectare.

Esaïe Edoh

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