Mabouba Diagne sur la Souveraineté alimentaire : « Il faudra 3.000 milliards FCFA pour nourrir les Sénégalais par les Sénégalais »
Achieving food sovereignty in Senegal will require massive investments estimated at at least 3 trillion CFA francs. This is the conviction expressed by the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty, and Livestock, Mabouba Diagne, during a panel discussion on agriculture and the rural economy, organized as part of the Grandes Rencontres du Soleil (Great Meetings of the Sun). The Minister spoke of "a colossal investment to produce 2 million tons of rice."
According to him, the priority remains local rice production in order to reduce dependence on imports.
To reach a target of 2 million tons of paddy rice, Senegal will need to develop approximately 250,000 hectares of agricultural land. "To produce 2 million tons of paddy rice, at a rate of 5 tons per hectare, we need 250,000 hectares," he explained.
Furthermore, he specifies that the complete hydro-agricultural development of these areas would require between 10 and 14 million FCFA per hectare, or approximately 2,500 billion FCFA.
In addition to this, there is the mechanization of agriculture, estimated at 300 billion CFA francs, as well as the construction of storage infrastructure estimated at 100 billion CFA francs. "I remain absolutely convinced that we will need at least 3 trillion CFA francs to hope to feed Senegalese people by Senegalese people," insisted Mabouba Diagne. He believes, however, that these investments would simultaneously solve several food security challenges.
With optimal water management and the use of multiple growing seasons, the same land area could be used to produce rice, maize, milk, and wheat. Senegal currently imports approximately 450,000 tons of maize per year.
According to the minister, this dependence could be eliminated by cultivating 90,000 hectares between rice-growing seasons. Similarly, the country spends nearly 70 billion CFA francs annually importing milk, a need that could be met by raising 150,000 genetically improved dairy cows, requiring approximately 50,000 hectares of maize silage for their feed.
Regarding wheat, of which imports reach 860,000 tonnes per year, Mabouba Diagne estimates that it would be enough to cultivate about 153,000 hectares to cover national demand.
“On the same 250,000 hectares, I can solve the equation for rice, corn, milk, and wheat,” he argued. Innovation and technology are key to attracting young people.
Invest massively to fight rural poverty
Beyond infrastructure, the minister emphasized the need to modernize agriculture to attract young Senegalese people. According to him, young people in both rural and urban areas are not rejecting agriculture, but are demanding more technological innovation. "With their phones, young people want to analyze soils, determine their needs for organic fertilizers, lime, or phosphates, and study markets before producing," he stressed.
The minister also praised the recent performance of the agricultural sector, which he attributed to the public policies implemented in recent months. He cited, in particular: 450,000 tons of onions produced, which would have made it possible to avoid imports had there been sufficient storage capacity; 250,000 tons of potatoes, allowing for the first time a drastic reduction in imports for eleven months; 112,500 tons of bananas, leading to the temporary closure of borders to imports; cotton production increasing from 13,000 to 25,000 tons, representing a 64% increase; and agricultural yields sometimes reaching 10 tons per hectare in certain areas.
For Mabouba Diagne, agricultural transformation must also involve the development of local value chains and the promotion of rural micro-enterprises. “We cannot feed Africans with crumbs. If we want to create jobs and reduce poverty in rural areas, we must invest massively in agriculture,” he declared. He specifically advocates for the development of local processing units to add value to national agricultural production.
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