Collaboration with CotonTchad for the organization of cotton production in southern Chad
From 1992 to 1994 on behalf of the Company for the Development of Textile Fibers (CFDT). Secondment as Director of Production of Sudanese zone of the ONDR (National Office for the Rural Development). Our role was to support the cotton company, CotonTchad, in the organization and development of cotton production throughout southern Chad.
We collaborated with CotonTchad, IRCT (Research Institute for Cotton and Textile Fibers) and the research station of Bebedja (Chad) for the definition of the campaign plans. ONDR was responsible for implementing all the actions to support cotton producers. In particular, the ONDR:
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Designs the modules and manuals for producers' training and organizes trainings for its extension officers and the producers;
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Collects estimations of surfaces to be planted in cotton and the needs for seeds, fertilizers and other inputs;
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Supervises the dispatch of inputs by CotonTchad in the villages, their storage and their distribution to producers by the Village Associations and their application in the fields;
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Organizes the supply of Village Associations for pesticides sprayers and scales. ONDR also organizes the maintenance of these equipment;
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Supervises the realization of cultivation operations and provide a harvest estimate;
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Trains Village Associations' staff around management, accounting and organization of cotton purchases;
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Supervises and provides logistical support to purchasing campaigns of raw cotton.
Organization of cotton production:
The Sudanese zone of ONDR covers all the southern of Chad, from Léré on the border with Cameroon in the West, to Kyabé on the border with Sudan in the East. To support the farmers over this large area, the Production Department had a team of 400 technicians: head of area, trainers, agricultural advisers and supervisors.
These extension officers collected the surfaces that farmers intended to plant with cotton, in collaboration with Village Associations (AV). These data were transmitted to CotonTchad and served as a basis to establish campaign plans: estimate of area planted with cotton by AV, program for the distribution of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.
Before the beginning of the works in the fields, these technicians monitored the supply in seeds, fertilizers and other inputs by CotonTchad, checked the availability of sprayers and organized their maintenance. They measured the surface of each cotton plots and supervised the agricultural operations.
Trainings were organized to explain Good Agricultural Practices and modifications of the technical itinerary to farmers. ONDR actively participates in the dissemination of technical innovations. It has thus been the linchpin of the revolutions introduced in phytosanitary protection such as the transition to "ULV" and "LV 10 liters" programs or the development of the "targeted Phased phytosanitary programs".
Support for the organization of the purchases of raw cotton:
The technicians of the ONDR's Production Department collected data such as: surfaces sown, realization of main crop operations, pesticides applications, seeds and inputs used and remaining stocks. They also carried out capsules counts and crop estimates on behalf of CotonTchad.
They also followed-up of the purchases of raw cotton. They ensured a link between the Village Associations and CotonTchad for the good progress of the evacuation of raw cotton to the factories. They communicated to CotonTchad staff: the cotton markets to be opened, the needs for empty boxes to load cotton in villages, the containers full of cotton to be removed and the stocks of cotton remaining in the villages.
Strengthening producer's organizations:
The action of the ONDR has made it possible to generalize the transfer of the primary purchase of raw cotton, previously ensured by agents from CotonTchad, to the responsibility of Village Associations. All the members of the purchasing teams: quality controllers, weighers and ticketers, have been trained about how to organize and handle a cotton market, the utilization of purchasing documents and their roles.
ONDR translated the purchasing management documents and procedures manuals into the vernacular languages. Besides, functional literacy sessions in French and in the vernacular languages were organized so that the Village Associations had sufficient staff able to operate cotton markets.
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