According to figures published by the Directorate of Agricultural Statistics, cotton alone accounts for 84.8% of the total value of exports of agricultural products from Benin, and 61.0% of the value of exports (all products combined) in 2021.

Still called white gold, cotton accounts for the majority of the total value of agricultural exports (84.8%), ahead of cashew nuts, shea nuts and soybeans, which represent only 06.6%, 03.3% and 1.3% of the total value of agricultural exports. Thus, agricultural GDP rebounded from 01.8% in 2020 to 05.2% in 2021 and economic growth evolved from 0.4 in 2020 to 1.4 points in 2021. And despite the inconvenience caused by the health situation, the value added of the agricultural sector increased from 2391.9 billion CFA francs in 2020 to 2516.2 billion CFA francs in 2021. These positive figures can be explained by the recovery of the primary sector's main activities, which are mainly focused on agriculture.