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Impact Of Agricultural Market Reforms On Smallholder Farmers In ...

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available credit from this source is much smaller (see Table 4.3.34). Thus, GVs tend to subsidize<br />

the interest rates on the cash loans they offer to members.<br />

Almost all GVs (96 percent) have bank accounts. The current balance of the account was around<br />

700 thousand FCFA on average, but the maximum balance over the course of the previous year was<br />

1.5 million FCFA. The size of the bank balances (both current and maximum) is largest in Zou and<br />

Borgou (see Table 4.3.35).<br />

4.3.7 Budgets<br />

<strong>In</strong> this section, we consider the sources of revenue and expenditure patterns of the groupements<br />

villageois.<br />

Revenue<br />

The GV survey collected information on various sources ofrevenue, including input<br />

distribution, crop marketing, and fees. The results indicate that cotton marketing is the most<br />

important source of income for GVs, representing 80 percent of the total. Member dues are the<br />

second in importance, accounting for about 8 percent of the total (see Table 4.3.36).<br />

At the same time, the survey results suggest considerable variation in the sources of income across<br />

GVs. For example, among the 17 GVs surveyed in Atacora, member dues contributed 80 percent<br />

of total revenue. Member dues were also the most important source of revenue for the GVs in<br />

Ouémé and Mono.<br />

<strong>In</strong> most regions, there are no fees or charges associated with input delivery. The only exception<br />

was some GVs in Zou that earn income from fees for fertiizer and pesticide distribution.<br />

Expenditures<br />

The expenditures of the GVs are more varied than the sources of income, with no single<br />

item dominating the budget. They include storage, dues to USPPs and UDPs, travel costs,<br />

maintenance, transportation, and investment in new storage facilities, as well as community<br />

investments such as schools, roads, and health centers.<br />

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