Senegal secures US$7M EU grant to boost food crop production
The funding will support smallholder farmers in the Groundnut Basin to strengthen food security.
SENEGAL – Senegal has secured US$7 million from the European Union to enhance food crop production in the Groundnut Basin.
The grant, signed on March 27 between the National Fund for Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral Development (FNDASP) and the Belgian Development Agency (Enabel), aims to support smallholder farmers and improve yields over the next three years.
The project will be rolled out in the Fatick, Kaolack, Kaffrine, and Tambacounda regions, benefiting 48,000 smallholder farmers.
These farmers are organized into 35 umbrella cooperatives and 750 grassroots cooperatives. The initiative focuses on key crops such as rice, sorghum, millet, maize, and cowpeas.
According to Abou El Mahassine Fassi-Fihri, Enabel’s country director, the program will include the production of certified seeds, improved financial access for farmers, and collaboration with the National Agency for Civil Aviation and Meteorology (ANACIM) to provide better weather forecasts.
“This is a project that aims to strengthen producers, production and improve agricultural yield to contribute to food security. The idea is also to put producers and processors in touch, to recover organic waste, as well as to employ women working in the agricultural sector,” he said.
Data from the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD) shows that in 2023/2024, the four target regions produced 1.54 million tonnes of cereals, accounting for 38% of Senegal’s total cereal output of 4 million tonnes.
Lifting peanut export ban
In a separate development, Senegal has partially lifted its ban on peanut exports. The Ministry of Agriculture announced on March 24 that peanut exports would be permitted from March 25 to June 15.
The ban, in place since October 2024, was initially enforced to ensure local oil mills had an adequate supply of groundnuts.
Authorities say that the decision to allow exports follows satisfactory results in local groundnut collection.
Babacar Fall, president of the National Company for the Marketing of Oilseeds (Sonacos), confirmed that his company has already collected 180,000 tons of groundnuts, representing 60% of its 300,000-ton target for the year.
The move reflects the government’s effort to balance local processing needs with international trade opportunities. In 2024, before the export ban, Senegal shipped 121,798 tons of groundnuts abroad, earning US$107 million.
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