Growers in Burkina Faso Seek Subsidies

Cotton growers in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina-Faso’s second-largest city, have joined the ranks of public protesters in the African nation. The group of 500 or so farmers seek better prices and subsidies for the coming season and are marching on the heels of violent protests by soldiers looking for higher wages and other citizens complaining about corruption and rising food prices.

The poor nation–the largest cotton producer in sub-Saharan Africa–can ill afford to lose revenue from cotton exports, and growers are using that to their advantage. Part of their proposal is a guarantee of record-high production–700,000 tonnes in 2011/12, up from 337,500 tonnes in 2010/11–if they are promised a better price for their crop. If those demands go unheard, the growers said in a statement, “the country will witness a peasant revolt.”

No solution seems imminent. The two sides appear to be very far apart. Sources say buyers are willing to increase prices by 35 percent to 55 U.S. cents per pound, but growers are seeking a price that is more than double what the downstream industry is willing to pay.