Mali 2024/25 grains output seen rising 12.1%, ministry says

BAMAKO, May 1 (Reuters) – Mali expects to produce 11.1 million metric tons of grains in the 2024/25 farming season, 12.1% more than provisional data provided for the previous season, the West African country’s agriculture ministry said on Wednesday.

Mali is the region’s second-biggest grain producer after Nigeria and exports crops to neighbouring countries.

It produced 9.9 million tons in the 2023/24 farming season, according to provisional data provided in March by Prime Minister Choguel Maiga.

The forecast increase will depend on abundant and well-distributed rainfall, the ministry said in its plan for the season.

It also said it expects to produce 765,000 tons of seed cotton in the 2024-2025 season, up 11% from the 690,000 tons of seed cotton forecast for the previous season.

Junta leader Assimi Goita announced an increase in cotton producer purchase prices to 300 CFA franc ($0.49) per kilogramme (kg) from 295 CFA franc per kg, speaking on state radio on Wednesday.

He also said subsidies on inputs would be renewed, bringing the price of a 50 kg bag of mineral fertiliser down to 14,000 CFA francs from 19,000 CFA francs.

Mali’s agricultural season runs from April to April. (Reporting by Tiomoko Diallo; Writing by Portia Crowe; Editing by Mark Potter)

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