Mali forecasts cotton production for the upcoming 2016/17 season at 750,000-800,000 tonnes, up from about 550,370 tonnes in the season ending in March, the CEO of the Malian Company for the Development of Textiles (CMDT) said on Monday. Achieving the target will depend on good rainfall and the timely arrival of fertilisers and pesticides, CMDT's Modibo Kone said on national radio.
Authorities are also taking steps to improve soil quality by distributing lime to farmers, which reduces soil acidity. "We are in the process of finalising all strategies and taking all measures needed to achieve this goal of 750,000 to 800,000 tonnes," Ousmane Traore, technical adviser in charge of production, told Reuters. Mali is West Africa's biggest cotton producer and its season runs from April to March in two phases, production between May/June and September/October, with commercialisation from October/November to March 31.