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

CHAPTER THREEHistorical Background andRecent InstitutionalEvolution of African CottonSectorsNicolas Gergely and Colin PoultonThis chapter provides the historical background and recent evolution inthe cotton sectors of the study sample. The presentation is structuredaccording to the two subsets of countries—West and Central Africa(WCA) and East and Central Africa (ESA)—because the countries in eachgroup feature a relatively common history, at least in prereform models.WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICACotton was introduced in most Francophone countries of West and CentralAfrica (WCA) in the last decades of the colonial period, as part of a broad policyaiming to supply the French textile industry with raw material. To that end,the French government created a dedicated parastatal company, CFDT (CompagnieFrançaise pour le Développement des Fibres Textiles). CFDT wasentrusted with developing cotton cultivation as an integrated supply chain—from the provision of input to farmers to the marketing of lint—in countriesof Francophone Africa. After independence in 1960, CFDT continued to operatethrough various country or subregional branches until the mid-1970s,when these branches were turned into national companies with a majority of31