How about processing Burkina’s organic cotton right here ?

Although the European textile industry is almost extinct,  as a result of the competition from China, there are still some exceptions. A few days ago,  for example,  a TV channel  featured a successful French organic cotton plant in Brittany. A textile business that was not hit by the crisis. Its secret ? It processes organic cotton.

Incidentally, three weeks ago I travelled the route from Po to Diébougou with a friend. I stopped to exchange a few words with some cotton farmers, who were loading their cotton harvest on a truck. The driver told us that he would be heading for Banfora (in the south-east near the Ivory Coast border). I was surprised. “Why not unload directly at the ginning plant in Diébougou?”  II was then told that this was organic cotton destined for export from the port of Abidjan.

Following on from this, I learnt (if I got it right!) that the farmers were selling their cotton for 272 CFA francs/kg, plus a “fair trade” bonus of 34 francs/kg for their association. Thus a total price of 306 francs  (compared to the 165 francs they would get for ordinary cotton). They were rather pleased with their harvest, even if they had not yet reached their target : 550 kilos per hectare, instead of the expected 6OO or more.

It is true that growing organic cotton requires more work than  conventional cotton. However, the financial input is lower, in particular if cotton is combined with organic sesame cultivation, so that certification costs can be reduced.

One could pursue this line of thinking further… Since October 2001, when the world market price for cotton hit a low, how many international gatherings have not repeatedly been stating that African cotton should be processed in Africa? But nothing happens. The fact is that the question is simple, but the solution difficult. Energy costs are very high in Burkina. How can a domestic textile industry be developed, when there are massive imports of cheap second hand clothing from all over the world?

The example of the plant in Brittany should make us think again. Would the solution lie in a significantly larger production of organic cotton to be processed locally?

Koudougou, January 14th 2009

Maurice Oudet

Director, SEDELAN