Cotton farmers from Africa, especially from Burkina Faso, Chad, Benin, and Mali , have for long complained about the unfairness and imbalance in international markets that has contributed to the near collapse of cotton farming on the continent. But the challenges of the cotton industry are not just at the international level. The collapse of the local textile industry has led to the closure of textile mills, pushing the cotton farmers to absolute poverty. Efforts to revive the industry through subsidies, privatisations and joint ventures have been futile.

Middlemen have seriously affected the amount of profits trickling down to farmers. Tax enforcement is irksome and almost amounts to harassment. The demands for unnecessary levies and cesses are seriously hurting the sector. An agreement was arrived at in Nairobi to allow cotton farmers unfettered access to markets of rich nations, greatly boosting the few cotton farmers remaining. They will also have a level playing field with their counterparts from rich nations.

The meeting, the first of its kind to be held on African soil in more than two decades, brings good tidings, especially to cotton farmers. It will now be possible for these farmers to export their products to international markets duty free.