Cotton-derived products are little exploited. Maximizing their potential can help reduce poverty and boost growth in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new ITC report.

Cotton is more than a fiber. Other parts of the plant, which are largely underutilized, can be transformed into food, fertilizer and fuel. They can be used in various industries including cosmetics and furniture.

Seizing these opportunities could help African farmers improve their livelihoods, according to a new report from the International Trade Center (ITC) that examines the uses of cotton-based products.

Beyond lint: Seizing all the opportunities of cotton in Africa comes from the joint initiative of ITC, WTO and UNCTAD on cotton by-products, at the request of the four cotton countries ( Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Chad).

According to the report, oil, cakes and meals, and cotton stalks can represent up to 30% of the value of seed cotton. Despite a potential of 400,000 tonnes of oil and 500,000 tonnes of protein, vital for the growing livestock industry, the oil and meal are not fully exploited. West Africa could generate an estimated $123 million' from cotton stalks, which could be used for compost or made into briquettes and pellets to produce energy.

The challenge is to demonstrate the benefits of a more structured way to exploit the potential of cotton derivatives. “Cotton stakeholders in Africa, from farmers to ginners to regulators, lack vital information on the opportunities for using the cotton plant beyond the lint,” says Pamela Coke- Hamilton, Executive Director of ITC.

As a result, African countries lag behind other nations in technology that adds value to cotton-based products. They also lack data to assess the viability of investments in cotton by-products, and are held back by policies that fail to promote the development of cotton in its entirety.

The report addresses these challenges by exploring the cotton industry across Africa, detailing the potential of cotton by-products and offering recommendations on how to capitalize on them.

Investing in cotton by-products value chains

“Certain activities can increase the added value of the cotton sector, raise awareness among public and private actors and increase transparency,” says Coke-Hamilton. “Financial and technical support from governments or donors is needed to promote this added value. Support for derivatives processing companies is essential, as is capacity building for the establishment of industrial clusters and the promotion of South-South cooperation”.

Most African cotton-producing countries have cottonseed processing industries into edible oil and cakes and flours used for livestock feed. According to the report, these two derivative products also present other opportunities. Cottonseed oil can be used in cosmetics, nitroglycerin and other products, while oil cakes (as well as meals) are used as fertilizer and fish bait.

Cotton cultivation generates 2 to 3 tons of stalks per hectare, which are generally burned by farmers. Cotton stalks can be used as organic fertilizer to improve soil fertility. They could become an important source of fuel, a raw material for the manufacture of particle board or the preparation of pulp and paper, and even a substrate for the cultivation of edible mushrooms.