Cotton sector reforms in chad: on move or stucked?

English abstract
Even though the primary sector in Chad is dominated by the crude oil exploitation (64.6% of the sector added value) agriculture with cotton remains important. In cotton growing areas, 80% of the farmers in Savannah zone grow cotton (338 500 farm holdings out of 423 000). About 2 millions peoples depend on cotton income. For several years, the cotton sector viability is at stake but the liberalization policy, as it is advocated by the World Bank is not yet materializing because of two major facts: Chad is a land-locked country and its cotton company is financially very weak. The modalities of the privatization of the cotton company are not determined: several scenarios are proposed but none is attractive enough to gain consensus. Cotton producers clearly show reluctance to embark into the liberalization process. This is the outcome of a study implemented mainly, but not exclusively, in two villages (Ngoko and Nguétté). The current productivity is restrained by the lack of equipment and use of chemicals. Farmers express the need to be supported to move forward more intensified production, but the required subsidies appear to be little compatible with the liberalization orientation. The technical backstopping to cotton growers, as well as research implementation has somehow vanished but these issues are not really addressed by the proposed policy. So, the outcome of the reform process will be at beat uncertain.