June 21, 2012

Benin reduced its cotton output estimate this season after Africa's fifth-biggest producer of the crop encountered difficulty in acquiring fertiliser, Minister of Development Marcel de Souza said.

The West African nation expects output of 350,000 tonnes to 410,000 tonnes, less than an earlier projection of 420,000 tonnes, he told reporters in Porto Novo, the capital.

"The government is still looking for 49,000 tonnes of fertiliser," he said. Benin has already purchased 27,500 tonnes at a cost of XAF8.5 billion (US$16 million), de Souza said.

Cotton accounts for 30% of Benin's gross domestic product, de Souza said. "Government cannot allow this sector to fail," he said.

To cover the costs of cotton production, the country has asked for a loan from the West African Development Bank, Finance Minister Jonas Gbian said. As well as the fertiliser costs, the country has provided farmers with insecticide and herbicide, he said.