Mali expects grains output to rise

BAMAKO: Mali’s grain output is expected to rise to 11.9 million metric tons in the 2026/27 season, from 11.5 million in the previous year, a government statement showed on Friday. Mali is West Africa’s second-biggest grain producer after Nigeria and exports crops to neighbouring countries. Cotton output is expected to rise 38percent to 598,500 tons in the next season from 433,700 tons in 2025/26.

Mali had forecast cotton output of 682,000 metric tons in 2025/26 but floods and insect infestations affected production. Mali’s agricultural season runs from April to April, with a production phase that starts in May or June and ends in September or October.

The marketing phase for cotton runs from October or November to March 31.