Cotton campaign 2025-2026: Benin regains the lead in the CFA zone despite the overall decline

This positioning comes despite a 16.3% decline in production year on year, marking its second consecutive annual drop.

According to the Regional Integrated Cotton Production Program in Africa (PR-PICA), total production in the eight countries of the zone has dropped to around 1.98 million tonnes in 2025-2026, down 14.2% from the 2.31 million tonnes recorded in the previous campaign.

Over the span of two years, the CFA zone has experienced a cumulative loss of nearly 24% of its harvested volumes, primarily due to attacks by jassid insects and irregular rainfall.

The trajectory of member countries varies significantly within the region. Former leader with 656,751 tonnes in 2024-2025, Mali has recorded a drop of 39.5% to settle at 397,540 tonnes.

In contrast, Burkina Faso has increased by 7% to reach 313,042 tonnes, allowing it to rise to third place regionally. Meanwhile, Côte d’Ivoire has recorded a slight decline of 0.4% with 310,407 tonnes, and Cameroon has decreased by 11.9% with 250,722 tonnes.

Finally, the strongest gains are seen in countries with smaller volumes, notably Senegal, which leaps by 62.2% to 25,166 tonnes, as well as Togo and Chad, which each show an increase of 30.3% with 78,706 and 75,268 tonnes harvested, respectively.

Heterogeneity of yields per hectare

In terms of yield, Cameroon maintains the highest ratio with 1,268 kg per hectare, followed by Senegal with 1,235 kg per hectare and Côte d’Ivoire with 1,069 kg per hectare. Conversely, Chad and Mali show the lowest levels in the zone, recording 545 kg per hectare and 745 kg per hectare, respectively.

Despite these recurring difficulties and two consecutive years of contraction, the CFA zone remains the world’s second-largest exporter of cotton.