The third largest peanut producer in Africa after Nigeria and Sudan, Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s Senegal decided in mid-November to suspend the export of its peanuts.
According to the Senegalese authorities, there is talk of promoting the local processing of Senegalese peanuts, a measure which is causing a stir in the sector.
In exchange, the State set a purchase price 9% higher than last year: 305 CFA francs per kilogram instead of 280 CFA francs in 2023.
In Africa, more precisely in Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s decision to suspend the export of peanuts is causing reactions.
For small producers and oil producers, this is a good measure. The price is secure and higher than before.
The country’s main oil producer, Sonacos, for its part, has relaunched two processing units, one in Louga, in the north, which has been shut down for two years, and the other in Ziguinchor, in the south of the country. .
With its four other factories, Sonacos promises to transform 300,000 tonnes of peanuts into edible oil and create 7,000 jobs this year.
It’s “a start”, analyzes a specialist in the sector after years where processing plants were almost at a standstill. To compare, in 2023, Sonacos processed 12,000 tonnes of peanuts, 22,000 tonnes the year before.
It should be noted that this small nut which supports 3 million farmers and 27% of households is one of the country’s main export products.
To the point that in recent years, access to seeds has fueled tensions within the sector: local oil producers and refiners are running out of raw materials.
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