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Organization and Performance of Cotton Sectors in Africa ... - infoDev

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which each has an exclusive right to purchase all cotton (<strong>and</strong>, typically, a responsibilityto promote it). G<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g companies compete directly with each other <strong>in</strong>concentrated <strong>and</strong> competitive sectors. The basic difference between these systemslies <strong>in</strong> the number <strong>of</strong> g<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g firms. Thus, Zambia <strong>and</strong> Zimbabwe wereboth, until fairly recently, effectively duopsonies <strong>in</strong> which the top two firmsaccounted for 90 percent or more <strong>of</strong> seed cotton purchases. By contrast, <strong>in</strong> Tanzaniathere are about 30 g<strong>in</strong>ners, the top 5 <strong>of</strong> which have only about a 40 percentmarket share (<strong>and</strong> these top 5 typically change from year to year).This difference <strong>in</strong> market concentration is also associated with an importantdifference <strong>in</strong> the nature <strong>of</strong> competition across the two sector types. In concentratedsectors, firms compete (on reputation) for the right to transact with producersthrough the com<strong>in</strong>g season. By contrast, <strong>in</strong> competitive sectors there are few<strong>in</strong>centives for preharvest service provision. Instead, they compete for seed cottonon the basis <strong>of</strong> price at harvest time. F<strong>in</strong>ally, hybrid systems are a potentiallydiverse group, emerg<strong>in</strong>g either out <strong>of</strong> attempts to liberalize a nationalmonopoly (Ben<strong>in</strong>) or to solve the problems unleashed by liberalization <strong>in</strong> asector with a competitive structure (Ug<strong>and</strong>a).<strong>Performance</strong> across the different sectors <strong>and</strong> sector-types was assessedthrough a range <strong>of</strong> efficiency, effectiveness, <strong>and</strong> distributional <strong>in</strong>dicators, someat the micro (that is, farm or enterprise) level <strong>and</strong> others at more sectoral ormacro levels. Some <strong>of</strong> these <strong>in</strong>dicators are readily quantifiable, while others arebased on qualitative “order <strong>of</strong> magnitude” judgments. They <strong>in</strong>clude process<strong>in</strong>dicators (prices paid to farmers, services delivered to them, quality management,technology creation <strong>and</strong> dissem<strong>in</strong>ation, valorization <strong>of</strong> by-products),<strong>and</strong> outcome <strong>in</strong>dicators for stakeholders (revenue <strong>and</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>itability at farmlevel, economic efficiency, value added, macro impacts), as well as an assessment<strong>of</strong> the logical l<strong>in</strong>ks between these. The conceptual framework generatesclear expectations about how different sector types would perform on many,though not all, <strong>of</strong> these <strong>in</strong>dicators. It also recognizes that structural factors maynot fully determ<strong>in</strong>e outcomes, as other factors will also <strong>in</strong>fluence competitiveness,<strong>in</strong>centives, <strong>and</strong> the acceptability <strong>and</strong> impacts <strong>of</strong> reform measures.EMPIRICAL RESULTS: STRONG LINKS BETWEEN SECTORSTRUCTURE AND PERFORMANCEIn large measure, the analysis showed that sector structure has a major <strong>and</strong> predictable<strong>in</strong>fluence on performance.This is particularly the case when look<strong>in</strong>g at how a sector performs onprocess <strong>in</strong>dicators.■Competitive, market-based systems deliver relatively high prices to farmers,but are weak on <strong>in</strong>put credit provision, extension, <strong>and</strong> quality. Evidenceis strong <strong>in</strong> Tanzania <strong>and</strong> Ug<strong>and</strong>a that, with<strong>in</strong> market-based systems,EXECUTIVE SUMMARYxxvii

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