DISCOVERIES, THE WINDS OF HOPE

rice from Southeast Asia is a serious competitor. Imported rice is a sign of wealth in a housewife’s basket, so the locally produced rice is left for the less affluent. To change this mindset (and the trade deficit) and considering Senegal’s domestic agricultural capacity (water and land resources) the government has launched the ‘fight for rice’.

One of the aims of PRACAS (Program for Accelerated Pace of Agriculture in Senegal) is to achieve rice self-sufficiency on the way to food security and sovereignty, although the medium-term goal is to export rice to the sub-regional markets.

The effectiveness of the policy can be seen in the drop (-2.77% in volume) in imports in 2015.

COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES

The abundance of land and water available in the Senegal River Valley and the Anambé Basin is very promising for the development of the rice sector. During the last few years private Senegalese and foreign farmers have used models that prove the potential of the sector. • Senegal’s natural environment gives it a proven advantage over many countries including some countries that export to Senegal (Southeast Asia suffers from climate instability, etc.). • Since rice was first introduced, farmers, regardless of their status, have shown a growing interest in this crop for a variety of reasons, e.g. the rice area’s ecosystems, the cropping system, cyclical economic difficulties, etc. • The synergy that has gelled among the development partners has led to the introduction of potentially high-yielding plants, e.g.

Sahelian varieties. • In economic terms, the cost price of local rice, compared to that of imported rice, has become competitive, but could still do better. Furthermore, the improvement in the quality of local rice has been accompanied by an increase in national demand.

SENEGAL’S STRATEGIC POSITION

The climate is suitable for rice double-cropping, and now multilateral technical and financial partners are gradually coming back. The present situation on the international rice market is offering tempting opportunities, especially for the: • development of the agro-industrial units producing paddy rice; • processing of rice for consumption using the integrated model.

MARINE PRODUCTS AND AQUACULTURE

The Senegalese maritime zone is characterized by great biological diversity. Four distinct groups are being exploited: offshore pelagic species (tuna, swordfish, billfishes, etc.), coastal pelagic species (mackerel, sardinella, etc.), deepwater demersal species (shrimp, hake, etc.) and coastal demersal species (crustaceans, red mullet, sole, octopus, etc.). However, the drop in production from the Senegalese fisheries has encouraged the introduction of species from aquaculture (tilapia, sheatfish, etc.), which explains why this sector has become one of the pillars of the Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE). The ultimate objective is steady sustainable growth.

The local market and the export market backed by the worldwide (including African) population growth have led to an increase in demand for fish products thus confirming that Senegalese government’s strategy is well founded.

COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES