yeah, the cotton industry in cote d'ivoire is fascinating. obviously
the one to talk to would be Andrea (the Dow Chemical (I think) guy who
was pulled out with us). but here's what I know: a few years ago (maybe
5 -10) RCI de-regulated its cotton industry, i think at the behest of
the World Bank or IMF. it was a nationwide monopoly they split into
three regional monopolies. LCCI was the northern regional monopoly,
probably in Mbengue, too, and is italian- or french owned, i think.
it's been very poorly managed and hasn't paid some farmers for their
crops for two years running (before this year, that is, so probably
three years now). the farmers don't really want to grow cotton, but
need the fertilizer they get on credit to put on their corn fields, and
it extends their work year to november, well past when the corn is
harvested. UROCOS-CI sp? is a farmers' cooperative that is just
starting to process cotton, and is promising to pay for the crop it
takes, but everything is on hold with that for now i assume. UROCOS-CI
had just purchased their first cotton a few months before the coup.
yeah, the french have fishy motives, and that's partly why Ivoirians
don't like them. i think the french and their mulitnationals could put
more pressure on african governments to democratize and root out
corruption before blowups like cote d'ivoire happen. but the french
(and the US) are making money off west africa just like they did in the
old days, now they just don't have to go through the pain in the ass of
occupying the country.
i'm not writing anything about cote d'ivoire for at least the next
year, just because i'm not there now. but i'd like to go back sometime.
m