DIRECTOR‑GENERAL'S CONSULTATIVE FRAMEWORK MECHANISM
ON COTTON
COTTON PROJECT
Communication
from Benin
The following communication, dated 17 September 2015,
is being circulated at the request of the delegation of Benin.
_______________
The Permanent Mission of the Republic of
Benin is submitting the project below, prepared by the Government of Benin,
with a view to receiving technical and financial assistance from the cotton
sector development partners under the Director‑General's Consultative Framework
Mechanism on Cotton.
1 PROJECT TO
REFURBISH SONAPRA LINT CLASSIFICATION UNIT
1.1 Context
and justification
1.1. The
Government of Benin has opted for an economic growth policy involving the
diversification of agricultural activities. Hence the country's strategic development
orientations and its growth strategy for poverty reduction, in which the
agricultural sector serves as a lever in the fight against poverty. The
Strategic Plan to Revive the Agricultural Sector (PSRSA) 2011‑2015, whose
priority focus is the promotion of agricultural activities, calls for the
development of 13 subsectors.
1.2. In
this regard, cotton plays a leading role in Benin's economy thanks to its
contribution to job creation and national wealth.
1.3. Moreover,
rapid growth in cotton production has been recorded in recent seasons
(174,000 tonnes in 2011‑2012, 240,027 tonnes in 2012‑2013, 307,354 tonnes
in 2013‑2014 and more than 380,000 tonnes in the 2014‑2015 season).
1.4. In
order to cope with producers' increased interest in cotton growing and to enhance
the value of Beninese cotton on international markets, SONAPRA, which classifies
all lint produced in the country by sale type and fibre length through the
Cotton Quality Control and Classification Service, is seeking to modernize this
instrumental classification unit and eventually develop high‑volume instrument (HVI)
bale‑by‑bale classification across its entire lint output.
1.5. SONAPRA
sees redesigning the current building as the logical option, since the site is
of an adequate size.
1.2 Action areas and target groups
1.6. The
project exclusively concerns the SONAPRA lint classification unit in Parakou.
1.3 Objectives and expected outcomes
1.3.1 General
objective
1.7. The
overall objective of the project is to implement HVI bale‑by‑bale classification.
1.3.2 Specific
objectives
1.8. The
specific objectives are:
a.
to create the operational
conditions necessary for instrumental classification (appropriate site and
compliance with international standards);
b.
to adopt a commercial approach based
on HVI classification in order to enhance the value of Beninese lint on the
international market; and
c.
to strengthen the capacities of
actors (SONAPRA executives and classers) with regard to HVI classification.
1.3.3 Outcomes
1.9. The
main expected outcomes are:
a.
refurbishment of the classification
unit to bring it into line with current standards;
b.
adoption of a commercial
approach based on HVI classification; and
c.
stronger staff capacity to perform
HVI classification.
1.4 Project description
1.10. The
lint classification unit refurbishment project will be placed under the
supervision of the National Agricultural Promotion Company (Société Nationale
pour la Promotion Agricole (SONAPRA)) and overseen by its Director‑General.
1.11. SONAPRA
sees redesigning the current building as the logical option, since the size of
the site is adequate and the layout of the rooms provides a good basis for
transformation. The established target figures are an output of 600,000 tonnes
of seed-cotton classified in 180 calendar days by 2020.
1.12. Given
a lint yield of 43% and an average bale weight of 227 kg, the laboratory's
dimensions will have to be suited for manual and HVI bale‑by‑bale classification
of 1,136,564 bales in 180 working days.
1.5 Strategy
for implementation, organization and management of the project
1.13. An
organizational implementation mechanism with a roadmap will be developed, but the
process will be coordinated by SONAPRA.
1.6 Costs
and financing
1.14. The
total cost of the project is estimated at €3 million and financing is being
sought from the World Trade Organization in the form of a grant.
__________