A three-year project funded by the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) and the European Union and sponsored by ICAC to reduce and prevent contamination of cotton in West Africa was completed in March 2013. The project was managed by IFDC. A 26-minute French language video summary of the project and major outcomes is available at:
http://www.ifdc.org/Media_Center/Video_Gallery/General_IFDC_and_Staff/Le_renouveau_du_coton_Ouest_africain_%28The_Revival_

Or it can be accessed on Vimeo directly and downloaded at: https://vimeo.com/64073132

The project involved 30,000 cotton farmers in Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Mali. The video puts the problem of cotton contamination and its impacts in perspective, and highlights the tools and practices developed within the framework of the project to fight against contamination in all stages of the value chain.
 
African producers lose from 5% to 30% of the value of cotton production each season because of contamination. Cotton provides cash incomes to an estimated 10 million people in western and central Africa and represents a significant portion of the export earnings of countries in the region.
 
The project provided training to producers, seed cotton handlers, truck drivers and ginners on best practice in the collection, storage, transportation and ginning of cotton. The project also facilitated greater traceability of cotton from field to gin to identify and eliminate sources of contamination. This project involved all actors in the value chain, not just farmers, and the project was conducted on a commercial scale, not just a pilot area.
 
Benefits to farmers from the elimination of contamination included increased revenue and reduced disputes over seed cotton grades at the time of procurement.
 
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The Secretariat of the Committee publishes information related to world cotton production, supply, demand and prices, and provides technical information on cotton production technology. Detailed statistics are found bimonthly in COTTON: Review of the World Situation, $190 per year via email, $230 per year in hard copy. A monthly outlook is available by email for $300 per year. Access to the latest weekly estimates of world cotton supply and use by the Secretariat is available on the Internet for $460 per year. Access Secretariat reports at http://icac.org.