From the APS special envoy, Ousmane Ibrahima Dia
Ziguinchor, Dec 23 (APS) – The State of Senegal is committed, with the help of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to the development of its oyster farming potential by focusing on oyster safety, under the Standards and Trade Development Fund (STDF).
Strengthening the shellfish industry in Senegal through compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary standards aims to “promote the health safety of shellfish and their access to regional and international markets”. The initiative will boost consumption of fresh oysters and increase producers' income.
In Senegal, oyster production is around 16,000 tonnes per year, with the surface area of mangroves, these natural areas for oyster reproduction, being estimated at 300,000 hectares.
Senegal exports 200,000 tonnes of fish products per year to the EU
In April 2023, during the celebration of National Oyster Day, the director of fishing processing industries, Abdoulaye Diouf, reported that Senegal was seeking approval allowing it to export its oyster products. to European Union (EU) countries.
''Senegal is working […] in this sense with the help of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, as well as other partners. We dare to hope that by 2025 Senegal will have a file that meets the requirements of the EU market,'' Mr. Diouf told several media including the APS, on the sidelines of the celebration of the National Day of 'oyster.
Dr Mamadou Ndiaye, the sub-regional coordinator of the STDF project at FAO
''The oyster is a highly sought-after fishery product in Europe, hence the need to think about the possibilities for Senegal to meet the requirements and quality standards of the European market,'' he added, estimating that exports towards Europe will generate added value for Senegal.
According to the director of fishing processing industries, oysters are not yet part of the fishery products (shellfish, fish, etc.) exported by Senegal to Europe.
''Senegal exports to the EU annually a volume of 200,000 tonnes of fishery products, for a turnover of around 200 billion CFA francs,'' he said.
The project, which aims to promote the health safety of shellfish and their access to regional and international markets, is implemented by FAO and the government of Senegal, with the support of the STDF, a fund of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Its objective is to improve the exploitation of shellfish, make them more wholesome and healthy, safe to eat, and encourage their export to profitable markets by bringing them up to sanitary and phytosanitary standards.
Shellfish can be 'very dangerous for consumers'
The total estimated budget of the project amounts to 854,518 US dollars (approximately 539 million CFA francs), including 756,408 (approximately 477 million CFA francs) financed by the STDF project.
Since January 2024, monthly samples have been taken from 50 production sites distributed in the regions of Saint-Louis, Louga (north), Thiès (west), Fatick, Kaolack (center), Kolda, Sédhiou and Ziguinchor (south), for analyzes to improve the exploitation of shellfish and their export to advantageous markets.
''In 1996, the inspection and certification system for fishery products in Senegal was deemed to comply with international requirements, particularly those of the EU. This situation offered an opening to the international market for all fishery products, cephalopods, fish and crustaceans in particular,'' recalled Dr Mamadou Ndiaye, the sub-regional coordinator of the project at FAO.
However, ''these aquaculture products in general and shellfish were not part of it,'' he clarified in an interview with journalists, during an investigative and information-gathering mission on the shellfish farming sites (the sites on which shellfish farming is practiced) and popularization of project activities in the regions of Sédhiou and Ziguinchor.
A classification table for aquaculture zones available from January 2025
''These products, noted Dr Ndiaye, have the biological particularity of filtering the water in which they live to feed. Due to this situation, when the body of water is contaminated, the shellfish are contaminated and become very dangerous for consumers, especially if they consume them raw.'' Hence the need to carry out health surveillance of the plans of water to guarantee the safety of the shellfish.
''This is how Senegal requested the STDF to finance the implementation of the surveillance plan,'' explained Dr Ndiaye.
This monitoring is carried out by FAO, the National Aquaculture Agency and the Directorate of Fisheries Processing Industries, which is responsible for the inspection and certification of fishery products intended for export.
''There were training sessions for agents to ensure that samples were taken in good conditions. The samples are then studied by the National Analysis and Control Laboratory of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, according to standard 17025,'' explained Dr Mamadou Ndiaye.
Monitoring of water bodies began in January 2024, and FAO teams should, by January 2025, have all the results to classify aquaculture areas.
FAO's support allows Senegal to ensure the good quality of its products before putting them on the market, according to Dr Ndiaye.
Added to the training is respect for good practices, the Coastal Fishing Initiative, FISH4ACP, the aim of which is to promote the potential of fishing and aquaculture, according to the sub-regional coordinator of the project at FAO.
Oyster farming, a source of employment
In Senegal, the shellfish sector is also taken into account. Its potential is enormous, according to Dr Mamadou Ndiaye.
''The harvest alone will satisfy the needs of the market […] If we manage to meet the quality requirements, we will be able to satisfy the demands of hotels and restaurants which, today, import these foodstuffs because they are attentive to quality,'' he underlined.
''Many women work in this sector. Markets will benefit women and young people when they are open. Significant commitment from stakeholders was noted. The FISH4ACP project enabled the organization of stakeholders. It will certainly be a framework for cooperation and relationships that will allow the State and partners, including the FAO, to easily support the stakeholders. There was a strong commitment from the State, which was at the origin of this support from the FAO and the WTO STDF,'' noted Dr Mamadou Ndiaye.
He recalls that there have been many initiatives aimed at supporting oyster farmers, particularly in the center of the country, to improve production conditions and techniques.
''But, until now […]hotels and large restaurants are reluctant to acquire artisanal production, because they do not have the guarantee of the health quality of the products. Therefore, the STDF project addresses an extremely important issue: the State's capacity to certify the health quality of shellfish. We are working on this. This is an extremely important lever for promoting the sector,” explained the sub-regional coordinator of the project.
''When we manage to certify the health quality of the products, the entire local market, hotels and restaurants will be satisfied. Even processed products will have a better guarantee of the health quality of the oysters, because they will be certified by the authority. We can open up to the international market. Today, there are many European, Asian and even American perspectives.''
Women mainly work in artisanal processing. Hard work, which pays little. The State and its partners have embarked on a process of promoting oyster farming potential by focusing on the health safety of oysters, according to Dr Mamadou Ndiaye.
Artisanal transformation: women on the front lines
''We have been in the production areas. We have seen the arduous nature of processing activities. In terms of yield, it takes 70 kilos of fresh processed oysters to have one kilo of dried products. And the price per kilo hardly reaches 5,000 CFA francs. However, if we manage to guarantee the health quality of the product, we can sell it in its raw state. As a result, you can validly sell a dozen for 5,000 CFA francs. And we go from 1 x 5,000 to 70 x 5,000 CFA francs. The margin in terms of development and improvement of income is extremely important,'' analyzed Dr Ndiaye.
''Working on product certification means working to multiply by 70 the income of those involved in the sector, 80% of whom are women. We can clearly see the social repercussions that this will have,'' he added.
OID/ADL/MTN/ESF
