The cotton planting area in Senegal is about 50,000 hectares, and the output has been hovering between 35,000 and 50,000 tons since 2003. The quality of cotton produced in Senegal is basically the same as that of cotton produced in other cotton-producing countries in West Africa, with shorter fibers. The quality of cotton produced in the irrigated areas of Senegal is better. After processing, the fibers are fine and the quality of the fabric can be considered superior. The purchase price of cotton is about 230 CFA francs/kg.
Senegal’s textile processing industry has relatively single capabilities, mainly cotton spinning processing industry, and has no other natural fiber processing capabilities (such as wool, silk, hemp, etc.). In addition to the cotton spinning processing industry, Senegal also has certain garment production capabilities, mainly workshop-style individual handmade garment workshops.
According to statistics, Senegal’s textile industry has an annual production capacity of 8,000 tons of spinning yarn, 2 million meters of fabrics, and 8 million meters of woven fabrics, and an annual production capacity of seed cotton processing of about 65,000 tons. Most of Senegal’s textiles are exported to countries in the West African region, with the export value reaching a maximum of 20 million US dollars and approximately 7,500 tons of cotton fiber. However, due to competition from textiles from Asian countries in recent years, Senegal’s textile industry has fallen into a comprehensive crisis. In 2007, exports were less than US$10 million. Enterprises such as the Senegal Cotton Spinning Company, the African Printing and Dyeing Company, the African Cotton Company, and the Senegal Textile Company are all in serious losses and on the verge of bankruptcy. Only some individual garment workshops are struggling to support individual survival.
The main reason why Senegal’s textile industry is in trouble is the lack of competitiveness: 1. Production costs are too high, and the prices of labor, water, electricity and other factors remain high; 2. The quality of the labor force is low; 3. The poor investment environment has caused There has been no domestic or foreign direct investment in the textile field, resulting in serious backwardness in finishing technology and equipment. The quality of Senegalese textiles has completely failed to adapt to international market standards; 4. The prices of cotton and fiber products are unstable and severely affected by the international market; 5. Foreign products Fierce competition; 6. The state is unable to support the development of the industry.
The Senegalese government has no special preferential support policies for the textile industry, and any foreign direct investment is managed according to the investment law. Regarding this point, please refer to the country-specific investment cooperation guide that our office has just completed.
Some of the Senegalese government’s mid- and long-term plans for revitalizing the textile industry include: 1. Establishing national textile quality standards to restrict the import of low-price and low-quality foreign products; 2. Restricting or banning the import of used clothes; 3. Attracting and encouraging domestic , foreign investors invest in spinning, weaving, printing and dyeing, etc. to improve domestic cotton processing technology and meet the quality standards for batch export to European and American countries; 4. Transform the garment industry to adapt to international standards for garment exports.
