A STUDY OF THE COTTON SUBSECTOR IN BURKINA FASO

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country of the Sahel, bordered on the south by the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo and Benin, on the east by Niger, and on the northwest by Mali. The climate of Burkina is primarily sudanian. The country lacks mineral resources that can be exploited profitably with present technology. Burkina economic progress depends primarily on the performance of its agricultural sector, which employs 80-90 percent of the population. Crop cultivation is still the dominant activity in agriculture. Cotton is the main export crop and a growing source of farmer income. In Burkina Faso, cotton represented some 40 percent of the total recorded exports in recent years. In view of the prominent position of cotton in the Burkina economy, the expansion of cotton production has become an important agricultural policy issue. Therefore, studies are needed concerning the major determinants of the supply of cotton in the country