lines and crop intensity percentages. Mali's most productive agricultural region is located between
Bamako and
Mopti. Irrigation water is used mainly for rice while cotton is grown as a rainfed crop. (USDA: 2001) In 2018, Mali produced: • 3.8 million tons of
maize; • 3.1 million tons of
rice; • 1.8 million tons of
millet; • 1.5 million tons of
sorghum; • 814 thousand tons of
mango (15th largest producer in the world); • 710 thousand tons of
cotton (15th largest producer in the world); • 551 thousand tons of
watermelon; • 522 thousand tons of
onion; • 512 thousand tons of
okra; • 370 thousand tons of
sugar cane; • 368 thousand tons of
peanuts; • 312 thousand tons of
sweet potato; • 303 thousand tons of
potato; • 226 thousand tons of
sheanut; • 215 thousand tons of
cowpea; • 196 thousand tons of
banana; • 167 thousand tons of
cashew nuts (8th largest producer in the world); • 159 thousand tons of
beans; • 159 thousand tons of
tomato; In addition to smaller productions of other agricultural products. and provide 42% of the GDP. Cotton and livestock make up 75%–80% of Mali's annual exports. Small-scale traditional farming dominates the agricultural sector, with subsistence farming (of cereals, primarily sorghum,
pearl millet, and maize) on about 90% of the under cultivation. The most productive agricultural area lies along the banks of the
Niger River between Bamako and Mopti and extends south to the borders of
Guinea,
Ivory Coast, and
Burkina Faso. Average rainfall varies in this region from per year around Mopti to in the south near Sikasso. This area is most important for the production of cotton, rice,
pearl millet,
maize, vegetables, tobacco and tree crops. Annual rainfall, critical for Mali's agriculture, has been at or above average since 1993. Cereal production, including rice, has grown annually, and the 1997–98 cotton harvest reached a record 500,000 tons. Until the mid-1960s, Mali was self-sufficient in grains — pearl millet,
sorghum, rice and maize. Diminished harvests during bad years, a growing population, changing dietary habits, and, most importantly, policy constraints on agricultural production resulted in grain deficits almost every year from 1965 to 1986. Production has rebounded since 1987 due to agricultural policy reforms undertaken by the government and supported by the Western donor nations. Liberalization of producer prices and an open cereals market have created incentives to production. These reforms, combined with adequate rainfall, successful integrated rural agriculture programs in the south, and improved management of the
Office du Niger, have led to surplus cereal production over the past five years.
Rice Rice is grown extensively along the banks of the Niger between
Ségou and Mopti, with the most important rice-producing area at the Office du Niger, located north of Ségou toward the
Mauritanian border. Using water diverted from the
Niger, the Office du Niger irrigates about of land for rice and sugarcane production. About one-third of Mali's paddy rice is produced at the Office du Niger.
Sorghum Sorghum is planted extensively in the drier parts of the country and along the banks of the Niger in eastern Mali, as well as in the lake beds in the Niger delta region. During the wet season, farmers near the town of Dire have cultivated wheat on irrigated fields for hundreds of years. Peanuts are grown throughout the country but are concentrated in the area around Kita, west of Bamako.
Livestock In 2019, Mali produced 276 million liters of
cow's milk, 270 million liters of
camel milk, 243 million liters of
goat milk, 176 million liters of
sheep's milk, 187 thousand tons of
beef, 64 thousand tons of
lamb meat, 54 thousand tons of
chicken meat, among others. Mali's resource in livestock consists of millions of cattle, sheep, and goats. Approximately 40% of Mali's herds were lost during the great drought in 1972–74. The level was gradually restored, but the herds were again decimated in the 1983–85 drought. The overall size of Mali's herds is not expected to reach pre-drought levels in the north of the country, where encroachment of the desert has forced many nomadic herders to abandon pastoral activities and turn instead to farming. The largest concentrations of cattle are in the areas north of Bamako and Ségou extending into the Niger delta, but herding activity is gradually shifting southward, due to the effects of previous droughts. Sheep, goats, and
camels are raised to the exclusion of cattle in the dry areas north and east of
Timbuktu. == Fishing ==