CFA zone: cotton production down nearly 12% in 2024/2025

The CFA zone is the main hub of cotton production in Africa. After an encouraging rebound in the 2023/2024 season, prospects for recovery have been hampered by a more difficult reality in 2024/2025, with climatic hazards and persistent phytosanitary challenges. 

In 2024/2025, the seed cotton harvest stood at 2.3 million tonnes in the CFA zone, according to data compiled by the Regional Program for Integrated Cotton Production in Africa (PR-PICA) in its latest newsletter published on Wednesday July 16th. This volume represents a drop of 11.5% compared with production during the previous season (2.6 million tonnes).

To explain this setback, Tété Awokou, President of PR-PICA, points to rainfall irregularities in the zone and the challenges of managing pest infestations. “The 2024/2025 cotton season was characterized by rainfall irregularities and low parasite pressure, with the exception of jassids, which were present throughout the cotton cycle, with average to high infestations,” says Awokou.

In its newsletter published last November, PR-PICA already referred to the impact of the flooding episodes that affected many West and Central African producing countries in the second half of 2024. « Cases of localized flooding were observed in most countries in October, resulting in plot losses and rotting of basal bolls. This situation could have a negative impact on expected seed cotton production in these countries », warned the organization in the document.

source: agence ecofin