Presentación de la experiencia de nichos de mercado en África

1. Cotton production in Africa: The experience
of cottons in niche markets
Silvère TOVIGNAN, PhD
Ambassador for Textile Exchange in Africa
Email: silvere@textileexchange.org
“COTTON, WEAVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN”
WORKTABLE 3: Differential Markets and Certification Seals

2. About Textile Exchange
• A multi stakeholders’ membership organization with headquarter based in Texas
(US)
• Vision : Build a global textile industry that protects and restores the environment
and enhances lives.
• Mission: Inspire and equip people to accelerate sustainable practices in the textile
value chain.
• Key activities:
• Annual Conferences to discuss issues and progress of sustainability in textile production (the
next in October 2017 in Washington)
• Annual farm and fiber report
• Annual market report
• For more information: www.textileexchange.org

3. Africa in the global Cotton production
• From 100 countries in the world
producing cotton, 25 are from Africa,
• 53 counties in Africa, then almost 50%
of them produce cotton
• Africa contributes approximately 6% of
the global cotton supply,
• 10 countries from West and Central
Africa contribute 4% of the global
cotton supply.
• Rainfed and hand picked cotton

4. Some challenges of cotton production in Africa
• Inputs and cotton Prices are out of farmers’
control
• With liberal economic policy, most Governments reduce or
remove subsidies on cotton inputs
• Subsidies received by western cotton farmers create
distortion on the global cotton market.
• Farmers receive the payment of their cotton
most of the time with long delay

5. Limited access to farm equipment and
technology (Family labor and its limits)
5

6. Cotton pest control
(Pesticides & effects abuse)
6

7. Unequal distribution of cotton revenue
7

8. « niche cottons » as response to some of these
challenges
• Organic cotton
• Fair trade cotton
• Organic and fair trade cotton
• Cotton made in Africa
• Better cotton initiative (Mali)

9. Comparing the different « niche cotton »
Criteria Fair trade Organic CmiA
Soil fertility
management practices
and ingredients
- Mineral fertilizers
- Compost and green manure
- Crops rotation
- Compost and green manure
- crops rotation
- Mineral fertilizers
- Compost and green manure
- Crops rotation
Pest management
practices and
ingredients
Synthetic pesticides
(exclusion of pesticide on
Stockholm convention list)
- Agro ecosystem balance
- Natural pesticides based on
plant extracts
Synthetic pesticides with
exclusion ones on the 1a and
1b list of WHO
Control system Traceability
Certification
Traceability
Certification
Traceability
Verification
Advantage at market
place
Minimum guaranty price
(revised periodically)
Fairtrade Premium
(community projects)
Premium price directly paid to
farmers can reach 20% above
conventional price
- No Premium price
- Investment in education
infrastructures

10. Organic cotton
Organic cotton is grown within a rotation
system that builds soil fertility, protects
biodiversity, and is grown without the use of
any synthetic chemicals or GMOs. Organic
cotton is subject to regular organic farm
certification. The national laws governing
organic
production include the EEC Organic Regulation
834/2007 in Europe, USDA National Organic
Program (NOP) in the United States, and the
National Program for Organic Production
(NPOP) in India.
MT of lint in 2015
Promoters: Civil society organizations, cotton
companies and donors.
World Africa
112488 5074 (≈ 5%)

11. Fair Trade cotton
The term Fair Trade defines a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that
seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering
better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers –
especially in developing countries
Promoters: cotton companies and FLO
65 percent of Fairtrade cotton
farmers also hold organic
certification.
Of the 22 Fairtrade cotton producer
organizations, 13 are small producer
organizations with a concentration in
West Africa.

12. Cotton made in Africa (CmiA)
• In 2015, approximately
• 750,000 smallholders
• Production volume of about
400,000 tons of lint
• 3 standards : CmiA, CmiA-
Organic and SCS.
• Promoters: Germany based
organizations
• OTTO Group
• Aid by Trade Foundation
• GIZ
• DEG

13. Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) in Mali
• Promoter in Mali: Solidaridad, CMDT APROCA
• In the 2014 harvest season,
• 29,000 BCI farmers produced
• over 35,000 MT of Better Cotton lint
• on 80,000 hectares.
• Impact
• Use of pesticides reduced for 17%
• 16% profitability increase on cotton
• CmiA cotton will continue to be sold as Better
Cotton to BCI membersMali
Mozambic
Are we still in niche market???
Sustainable cottons trends in Africa!!

14. MUCHOS GRACIS
MERCI
THANKS