African Cotton Markets: Burkina Faso, Mali, and Benin in the Global Supply Chain
West African cotton, particularly from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Benin, feeds Asian textile mills and competes directly with US and Brazilian supply. Security crises in the Sahel are disrupting the 2024-25 supply outlook.
West Africa produces approximately 1.7 million tonnes of seed cotton annually, with Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, and Cote d'Ivoire as the four largest producers. The region's cotton is predominantly sold to spinning mills in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, and China through parastatal marketing boards that set floor prices for smallholder farmers. West African cotton competes on quality (generally A grade) and proximity to Asian markets via the Cape route.
Security Crisis Impact
Burkina Faso and Mali, now under military governments, face jihadist insurgencies that have displaced rural farming communities and disrupted extension services and input supply chains. Burkina Faso's cotton production fell 30 percent in 2023-24 compared to the five-year average. Mali's CMDT parastatal is struggling to finance input provision for the 2024-25 season. Cotton traders and textile sourcing managers can track West African supply disruptions and find alternative sourcing contacts on intra-africa.com.
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