Togo Cotton Sector Plots Five-Year Comeback Plan, Targets 200,000 Tons by 2030

Agriculture

Thursday, 30 October 2025 18:21

Togo Cotton Sector Plots Five-Year Comeback Plan, Targets 200,000 Tons by 2030

(Togo First) - Cotton sector stakeholders in Togo are moving to revitalize the industry, which has struggled with years of lackluster production, by drafting a new five-year roadmap for 2025 to 2030 aimed at a sustainable national production recovery.

Producers, experts, and institutional representatives have been gathered in Kara since Tuesday, October 28, 2025, for a planning workshop organized by the Nouvelle Société Cotonnière du Togo (NSCT) and the Fédération nationale des groupements de producteurs de coton (FNGPC). The meeting seeks to define new strategies to re-engage farmers in a crop once known as the country’s “white gold.”

The discussions, which include international experts, are expected to identify key bottlenecks, establish a precise sector diagnosis, and propose concrete solutions to relaunch production. A central focus is on coordinating institutional, private, and producer groups to strengthen governance across the value chain.

The forthcoming roadmap will serve as the strategic framework for the 2025-2030 period, detailing priority actions, clarifying the responsibilities of each stakeholder, and establishing a monitoring and evaluation mechanism. Participants are working in sub-groups on critical themes, including farmer re-mobilization, climate change resistant productivity, logistics and ginning, and sector commercialization and financing.

Based on projections discussed during the meeting, the effective implementation of the plan aims to achieve an annual seed cotton production of between 150,000 and 200,000 tons by 2030.

The initiative comes as the sector faces continued challenges since the Singapore-based Olam group took control in 2020. Since then, national output has struggled to surpass the 60,000-tonne mark, with the exception of the 2023-2024 campaign, which saw a modest rebound to 67,000 tons. Production for the most recent 2024-2025 season fell to 60,403 tons, missing initial forecasts by 8.4%.

For the upcoming 2025-2026 season, cotton growers have set an ambitious target of 92,500 tons, representing an increase of over 50% from the previous harvest. The new roadmap is designed to make this significant challenge achievable through the mobilization of all stakeholders and better support for farmers.

Esaïe Edoh

REFORMS OVERVIEW

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In comparison to previous years, Togo has significantly improved its ranking on the “Trading across borders” index by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitalization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

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