According to the USDA Agricultural Counselor’s report, the cotton planting area in Senegal, Burkina Faso and Mali in 2019/20 is 1.4 million hectares, a year-on-year increase of 1.5%. Cotton output is expected to be 2.47 million bales, a year-on-year increase of 14.8%. Exports The volume is expected to be 2.42 million packages, a year-on-year increase of 15.1%.
Recently, the Ivory Coast Ginners Association stated that Côte d’Ivoire’s seed cotton production in 2019/20 is expected to reach a record high of 500,000 tons, higher than the previous year’s 32,000 tons; and Mali’s agricultural department also stated that in 2019/20 Mali’s seed cotton production in 2020 is expected to reach a record high of 800,000 tons, surpassing Burkina Faso to become the country with the highest production in West Africa. The total cotton output in Africa, especially West African cotton, is showing a trend of rapid growth in output, substantial increase in exports, and an increasingly important role in the global market. The December USDA global production, sales and inventory forecast report shows that the cotton exports of Benin and Mali in 2019/20 are expected to be 305,000 tons and 305,000 tons respectively, an increase of 00,000 tons and 11,000 tons respectively compared with 2018/19.
According to feedback from some international cotton merchants and cotton-related enterprises, China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Turkey , Pakistan and other countries are the main sales markets for West African cotton. The African cotton currently sold bonded in my country’s main port and shipped on 1/2/3 mainly includes South Africa, Benin, Mali, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Ivory Coast and other origins, and is sold in SM, M Grade, length 1-3/32 and above are mainly medium and high quality. Overall, the export of West African cotton to my country has grown significantly. After the outbreak of the Sino-US trade war, traders have increased inquiries and contract signings for West African cotton, forming a certain substitute for US cotton and Central Asian cotton.
Some institutions and cotton-using companies believe that West African cotton is still a “niche” brand and it will be difficult to make a big breakthrough in exports to China in 2019/20. The reasons include the following: First, the output of Brazilian cotton and India increased significantly in 2019/20. As Chinese textile companies and traders increase their recognition of the quality of Brazilian cotton, Brazilian cotton has become more substitutable for American cotton and Australian cotton. Second, West African cotton is mainly hand-picked, with a high foreign fiber content and a biased color grade. Yellow (coupled with the long transportation time, sea transportation causes the lint to rise and change color easily); coupled with the fact that West African cotton has many producing areas and the quality difference is somewhat large, cotton spinning mills will encounter more or less problems in cotton distribution; thirdly, West African cotton There is no advantage in price. The current quotations for Mali SM 1-5/32 and Cameroon M 1-5/32 for the January/February shipping period are 79.50-79.80 cents/pound and 81.50-81.70 cents/pound respectively, which are higher than the Brazilian cotton 1.5-2.5 for the same shipping period. cents/pound. </p
