Products from Africa

Groundnuts are cultivated by more than 100 countries around the world. The main producers are China and India which supply more than 60% of world production. Africa provides 25% of production with Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan mainly.

In Senegal in the 1960s, groundnut cultivation had developed as a cash crop (production of oil and cake) intended for export with increasing openness to the world market. This culture was the driving force behind the development of the Senegalese economy and provided up to 80% of exports and provided most of the cash income in rural areas. But from 1970 and especially since the 1990s, there has been a real crisis in the groundnut sector and the various agricultural policies have not always made it possible to relaunch the sector.

Fishing occupies an important place in the Senegalese economy and is Senegal’s main source of foreign exchange. It generates export revenue of around CFAF 135 billion. The main fishery product exported is fresh fish (79%), followed by canned products (5%), processed products (4%).

The supply of industries is almost evenly divided between artisanal and industrial fishing. The Dakar area is the first landing region (40%), followed by that of Thiès (28%) and that of Saint-Louis (27%).

Apart from fresh fish and canned food, there is a strong demand for:

–   Fishmeal (poultry and fish farmers);

–  Liver oils and dried scales for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries (France in particular);

–   Swim bladders (Asia);

–   Toufa tabs (Saudi Arabia for adornments);

–  Dried stomachs and esophagi intended for consumption. Great Britain imports significant quantities.

Ivory Cost, a West African country with a population of 16,000,000, is the world’s largest producer of cocoa beans, with an average annual production of 1,200,000 tonnes, or 41% of the supply. global. On the national macroeconomic level, the level of production reached means that the cocoa economy provides about 40% of export earnings, and contributes 10% to the formation of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). At the social level, around 600,000 heads of farms drive the production apparatus, thus supporting around 6,000,000 people on income from cocoa. 

Senegal is the 13th largest producer of cashew nuts in the world according to the FAO. However, the country is still struggling to derive the correct income from the sector, capable of meeting the needs of the few thousand families who depend on the production and marketing of the product.

In Senegal, for a long time, cashew cultivation remained marginal and was the prerogative of only a few rare producers, especially in the south of the country, especially in the regions of Ziguinchor and Kolda.

However, since the early 2000s, the prospects opened up by exports and strong foreign demand have boosted the sector. West Africa is by far the leading supplier of raw cashew nuts with more than 1.6 million tonnes exported in 2018 and is strengthening its position to represent nearly 80% of total world exports, against nearly by 75% in 2017.

The leading producer of cotton in West Africa, Burkina Faso has chosen to base its economic development on the production and marketing of this cash crop. Although cotton lint is exported in its raw state for lack of means to promote it and although it is ceded to Western competitors who subsidize their producers and influence stocks, the results are concrete.

Improvements in socio-economic indicators and export earnings encourage the country to produce more and more. However, the increase in production intended for export generates quality requirements, forcing producers to modernize their cropping systems, with technical and scientific assistance from northern countries.

The popularization of new practices, the dissemination of modern tools and the training of farmers are provided by cotton companies, partly owned and managed by Western shareholders. Burkina Faso is thus entering a complex system of dependence vis-à-vis developed countries.

The mango is one of the most dynamic sectors of the horticultural sector in Senegal. It records annual production of between 125,000 and 130,000 tonnes, and represents 63% of the fruit and vegetable sector. The areas covered by mango orchards in Senegal are estimated at 25,000 ha.

As for mango exports, they made significant leaps between 1998 and 2015. From 288 tons, they rose to 16,689 tons for a production of 130,000 tons. From a quality point of view, Senegal tops the ECOWAS countries with a level of compliance exceeding 99%.

The gum arabic sector suffers from a lack of organization, thus leading to imbalances in terms of remuneration. The sector also lacks processing units. The gum could pay off if it was powdered and then exported.

Foreign companies import most of the raw gum arabic, then process it and then sell it to other countries.

Export gum remains weak in Senegal despite its significant potential. These foreign companies are sometimes forced to turn to Sahel countries such as Mali, Mauritania or Niger which are not only well organized, but which produce gum arabic in quantity.

Ghana remains the main exit point of the sub-region with more than 210,000 tons exported as origin Ghana but, Burkina Faso occupies a growing share of exports with more than 100,000 tons exported as origin Burkina Faso. Benin comes in third place with more than 50,000 tons exported and Côte d’Ivoire’s exports increase to over 20,000 tons. “

Nigeria is the second largest producer of sesame seeds in Africa, with a production of around 120,000 tons per year (FAO 2012). Much of the local population, largely made up of women, depends directly or indirectly on the production of sesame seeds for local markets and for export.

The development of this sector reduces poverty and increases the standard of living while slowing the rural exodus to urban areas. It is estimated that with better quality control Nigeria could increase its exports to the Far East and the European Union by 50%.