Field workers in northern Ivory Coast have once more, begun picking cotton by the handful – a crop that was preserved by the use of extra insecticides after a new pest greatly destroyed the plant across West and Central Africa last season.
The Indian cotton jassid or Amrasca biguttula insect had appeared almost from nowhere and attacked much of West Africa’s cotton belt in 2022-23.
These pests injected a toxin into the plants causing a near 25% production decline year-on-year.
Some countries had lost more than half their forecast harvest due to the incident.
The crisis emphasised the sector’s vulnerability to alien species and a dependency on chemical mixture.
Further studies revealed that this reliance to chemicals would not protect a crop that supports millions for a long term. Recall that this crop is a treasured foreign currency earner for extremely poor governments from Benin to Burkina Faso.
The use of quickly trialled and approved new pesticides has kept these tiny grasshopper-like insects at bay.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture revealed in September that production of cotton across West and Central Africa’s 10 cotton-growing countries is expected to reach 4.9 million 480-pound bales in 2023/24.
A startling 22% rebound from the previous marketing season.
