In Tuy I met a family, whose members have produced large quantities of cotton for many years. They are now to reduce their output from 15 hectares to 6 or 7. In the same village all and everybody told me that they were going to produce less, without being able to specify how much.

In the Bougouriba region I met with some small cotton farmers. They too said that they were at a loss (they still do not know how much Sofitex will pay them per kg cotton). Nevertheless nearly all declared that they were going to continue their production of cotton, adding that they were doing so primarily to be able to obtain the fertiliser, that they can then use for growing maize. This is in fact common practice: the only way in which small farmers can obtain fertiliser on loan is by undertaking to produce a certain amount of cotton. Subsequently part of the fertiliser provided for cotton is redirected to maize production. This is the reason why many cotton farmers are also good producers of maize.

My questions to the farmers also dealt with the type of seeds that they were going to receive. No one said a word about the possibility that they might be supplied with GMO seeds.

However, on September 26th last year the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Salif Diallo, proudly proclaimed that, as of 2007, cotton producers were going to grow GMO Bt cotton. “We even have our own stock of seeds”, he said.

The fact remains that the great disarray among cotton farmers is quite understandable, as well as their disengagement. In 2004 they were paid 210 CFA francs per kg seed cotton. Then 175 francs. Last year the minimum threshold price of 175 francs disappeared, as the farmers learnt that even prime quality cotton would only be bought at 165 francs/kg. This is what is taking place at present … and yet, just a few days before the start of the new season, many still have not been paid and the buying price for the coming season has not been announced. It is as if all the assurances given to farmers, when the CFA franc was devalued, have vanished. Many now think that the price of cotton will not go beyond 150 francs!

While it is being known that the Sofitex is in the red, it is hard to understand its approach towards the farmers. The company asks them to produce ever more. Why not make use of this downturn and invite farmers to improve their soil management? For instance by adopting a 4-year crop rotation scheme: cotton, maize, oil seed plants and fodder (instead of depleting the soil as in the present system of alternating between cotton and maize only, without ever interspersing any other/crop.

Koudougou, April 15 2007

Maurice Oudet

Director, SEDELAN