In 2004-2005, the cotton production of the Francophone countries of West and Central Africa represented 1,126 metric tons of fibre.
It involves about 12 million rural workers. It results in the redistribution of half a billion Euros and earns over one billion Euros in export revenue.
Cotton, which is the largest employer in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad, has enabled an industrial infrastructure to develop, including ginning factories, oil plants and textile factories.
It has generated many secondary activities (transport companies for the distribution of inputs and outputs, ironworks and mechanical workshops for agricultural equipment, shops, etc.)
Cotton and increased production of associated crops: The intensification techniques used for cotton production have been transferred to the other crops with which it is rotated, increasing food production in the region.
In Mali for example, about 550,000 metric tons of various types of cereal are produced in the cotton zone, i.e. 30 percent of the national output, as well as a variety of pulses, which in addition to being a source of dietary protein, help maintain soil fertility.
Cotton and the modernisation of livestock rearing & animal-drawn farming: The cotton zone has also become a livestock farming region. There are large numbers of cattle, some of which are used for animal-drawn farming, which generate farmyard manure.
The manufactureof cattle feed from cottonseed meal and its distribution contribute to the development of dairy and meat production for selfconsumption in rural areas and an increasingly large part of it is being used to satisfy the needs of the towns.
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