Libéralisation, distorsion de concurrence et évolution technologique : portée et limites du succès du coton en Afrique Zone Franc

The positive outcomes of cotton production in Franc Zone Africa are particularly emphasized during the last three years, indicating a "success story" too much rare in Africa. This paper firstly elaborates on these outcomes, by distinguishing direct and indirect effects, related in one hand to cotton production stricto sensus, and in the other hand to development operations that the cotton success encouraged to implement in cotton zones. This paper provides a clarification of the influencing factors of the success encountered, pointing out seven criteria whose favorable orientation pushed farmers to adopt cotton production from 1952 to the eve of the structural reform of cotton sectors in the related countries, by the beginning of the 1990s. These criteria are based upon the knowledge about farmers' constraints and objectives, namely: risk aversion, financial resource limitation, liquidity constraint, financial market imperfection, lack of technical skills, transaction cost and price equity. The favorable trend of these criteria, as well as the diversification of activities in cotton zones, reveal the lasting involvement of the State which appears to be quite justified when one assimilates cotton sectors as service distribution networks. This assimilation enables to take advantage of the lessons learnt from the Economic Theory of networks (carried out in Western countries to accompany the deregulation of services networks like water, electricity...) to understand and readjust the reform of cotton sectors in Africa.The cotton success appears to be rather mitigated since the reform implementation of cotton sectors. This is linked to the deterioration of the criteria which are critical to farmers. Wholly speaking, cotton sectors are suffering from a lack of cooperation climate between stakeholders while this cooperation is crucial to successfully face important trends within the cotton world. This document provides an elaboration of few of these trends in order to point out possible actions.The liberalization of textile products, in the opposite of what is commonly assumed would only induce limited increase in cotton demand. The Chinese power in price forming will be increased at the expense of exporting countries. The challenge will be to promote the demand addressed to African cotton. Protesting only against subsidies by a few countries would not be enough. Poverty alleviation calls for the implementation of a new international solidarity approach going beyond the mere correction of market distortions. The impact of the subsidy abolition would only lead to small increase of the world price for a short period. Small as it will be, this impact cannot be insured if the strategy in the protest towards WTO is not re-adjusted and if the oligopoly reality of commodity trade is not taken into account. The international oligopoly of cotton trade has entered African countries thanks to the liberalization of their cotton sectors. Trading rules are being manipulated at the expense of exporting countries which must show themselves more vigilant about this issue. With a further more competing cotton world, achieving productivity gain is crucial. Setting up again a favorable institutional framework is essential along with a comprehensive assessment of advantages and constraints associated to GM cotton use.