Mali reduces forecast for 2016/17 cotton harvest

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali has cut its cotton production forecast for the 2016/17 season to 650,000 tonnes from a previous estimate of 750,000 to 800,000 tonnes, the Malian Company for the Development of Textiles said on Monday, without giving a reason for the reduction. The cotton season opened last month in West Africa's biggest cotton producer, where last season's crop of 513,553 tonnes, was far less than a 650,000-tonne target because of late rain damage, highlighting the difficulty of meeting harvest goals. The late rains drenched crops and disrupted ginning in most regions in January and hit output. The cotton harvest in Mali runs from April to April. Production begins in May-June and ends in September-October. Commercialisation starts in October-November and ends at the end of March. (Reporting By Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Joe Bavier and Jane Merriman)