Positive progress has been made since 2022, according to the Aid by Trade Foundation’s (AbTF) annual report on the implementation and certification of Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA).
In its report, AbTF provided information on how its African partners have gone about implementing the CmiA and CmiA Organic standards.
It clarified that independent third parties conducted routine verifications to evaluate how well its criteria were being implemented in cotton fields and ginneries.
Twenty cotton firms in eleven nations south of the Sahara had twenty-three verifications carried out in 2023; ten of these were at ginneries (the first stage of raw material processing), and thirteen were at the field level.
Significant advancements since 2022 were evident in the verification results. For example, partners received great marks for providing small-scale farmers with high-quality inputs, pre-financing, and cotton fiber availability.
AbTF highlighted that “excellent” scores were also awarded for criteria related to transparency in the supply chain, including compliance with traceability requirements for CmiA cotton in the chain, a transparent classification and payment system for seed cotton, and timely payments to CmiA-contracted farmers.
Concurrently, respectable working conditions and assistance for small-scale farmers were rated as “very good,” in part because of the focus on safeguarding workers’ rights and health by establishing reasonable work schedules.
In terms of environmental considerations, AbTF stated that CmiA cotton is still grown “strictly” without the use of genetically modified seeds and irrigation with groundwater or surface water.
The report included information on AbTF’s several 2023 activities in addition to the verification results. These included greater investment in innovation and communication to help its partners execute the standards’ criteria.
Furthermore, it is said that the growth of Benin’s organic cotton industry, the CAR-iSMa project, which promotes adaptation to climate change, and the recently formed Innovations Club were among the multilateral partnerships that were crucial to the project’s success. Important elements were training for farmers specifically on cotton, multidisciplinary professional development activities, and regional workshops.
Adapting to the effects of climate change on agriculture will be a priority in this respect, according to AbTF, which stated that this strategy will be continued in 2024 and that investment will be made in further developing communication and training formats to sustain and refine the quality of results.
