COMCEC Agriculture Outlook 2018
25
Figure 19. Maize Yields in the OIC and the World
Source: FAOSTAT
Lastly, one of the widely produced agricultural products in the OIC member countries is cotton,
which provides main sources of raw materials to textile industry. Furthermore, it is an
important cash crop for millions of farmers, which generates income to rural household.
Therefore, it enhances the food security of farmers with respect to accessibility of food,
especially in poor regions.
Cotton yield in the OIC and world is illustrated in Figure 20 during the period 1995-2016. As
seen in the figure, the yield of cotton in the OIC member countries shows a poor performance
over the last two decades. While it is noted 1.77 tons/hectare in 1995, it slightly increased to
1.85 tons/hectare in 2016. Compared to the world, the cotton yield of the OIC was higher than
the world till the beginning of the 21. Century, the world average cotton yield has surpassed the
OIC figures during 2000s. As of 2016, world average cotton yield was 22 percent higher than
OIC’s.
1,8
2,3
2,6
3,0 3,1
3,8
4,3
4,8
5,2
5,6
1,0
1,5
2,0
2,5
3,0
3,5
4,0
4,5
5,0
5,5
6,0
1995 2000 2005 2010 2016
Yield (tonnes/ha)
OIC World