Burkina Faso Growers Union Negotiating with Government

By Jim.Robinson|May 5, 2011

In an attempt to end its impasse with the government about the high cost of some inputs and the low fixed price growers receive for cotton, the National Cotton Producers Union of Burkina Faso has entered negotiations with government officials.

The West African nation is the largest fiber producer in Africa, but its growing community has threatened to completely abandon this year’s crop if the government sets the fixed price for cotton to $1.12. Several weeks ago, government officials did indeed increase the fixed price by 35 percent, but even the new price is less than half of the price growers are fighting to secure.

Another option for the government is to create significant subsidies to help farmers pay for fertilizers, which cost more in Burkina Faso than any other country in West Africa. Laurent Sedogo, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Agriculture, has vowed that the farming community’s demands would receive attention at the highest levels of government and a solution acceptable for everyone would be found.

In 2010, Burkina Faso produced a total of 850,000 bales (480 lb) of cotton, the nation’s best total since 2006 and an increase of 21.4 percent over the previous year.