Browse Data and Analysis

This is a regional report on West Africa that primarily covers Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Mali, but also provides brief overviews in certain sections for Niger, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Mauritania.

MY2024/25 cotton area harvested for Mali, Senegal, and Burkina Faso is forecast at a combined 1.2 million HA, a one percent increase from the previous MY. A late start of the rainy season delayed planting in all three countries, and insecurity in Burkina Faso continues to prevent planting in many areas.

While the United States holds a 5-year average of less than 1 percent market share ($20.7 million in 2023 exports), Senegal has a growing food manufacturing industry that seeks cost-competitive ingredients and is expanding its exports to neighboring countries.

This market study examines consumer perceptions and receptivity towards purchasing U.S. foods and how those products may be successfully marketed in Senegal.

Senegal is a $3 billion dollar market for food and agricultural imports, including $1.3 billion in consumer-oriented products. The United States captures less than one percent of market share, with agricultural exports valued at 20 million dollars in 2023, including $12.3 million in consumer-oriented foods.

Senegalese cowpea production is estimated at 152,000 MT in the 2022/23 December- November marketing year (MY), a 36 percent decline from the previous year.

Governments’ support for inputs and rice production have lifted area harvested and yields, boosting production across much of the region. Marketing year (MY) 2024/25 area harvested for rice in Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali is projected up 1.7 percent year-over-year.

This report is an annual update of Senegal’s food and feed regulations and governmental regulatory bodies and enforcement mechanisms. It provides information and guidance on import requirements, procedures, and documentation.

This report provides information on export certificates and other certification/accreditation required for imported food and agriculture products, including live animals. There is no update for 2023.

The regional harvested area for Marketing Year (MY) 2024/25 is forecast to rise 17 percent at 1.38 million hectares (MHA) compared to the previous year based on expectations of good farm gate prices and improved security and stability in many cotton-growing areas.

Senegal will begin oil and gas production in 2024 which is expected to be a major factor in strong economic growth going forward. Increased purchasing power, in combination with population growth, increasing urbanization, and an expanding middle-and-upper class, should provide new opportunities for U.S. suppliers to enter the market.

Marketing year (MY) 2023/24 area harvested for Mali, Burkina Faso, and Senegal is expected to remain the same as the previous year at 1.23 million hectares (MHA), as increases in Mali and Senegal were offset by losses in Burkina Faso due to...