With needs reaching 2.2 million tonnes, imports mainly from Asia and particularly India, have made it possible to satisfy consumers’ appetite.

SENEGAL – Senegal’s rice sector has recorded remarkable progress over the past decade, but despite significant gains in domestic output, the country’s dependence on imports continues to widen.

Official figures from the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (ANSD) indicate that domestic production has tripled since 2012, increasing from approximately 469,000 metric tons to nearly 1.5 million tons today.

However, this growth is insufficient to meet national requirements, which are estimated at around 2.2 million tons annually.

The sector continues to rely heavily on rainfed agriculture, which exposes it to rainfall variability and climate risk, while the full potential of irrigated rice farming, particularly in the Senegal River Valley, has yet to be realized. As a result, the gap between national production and demand has been filled increasingly by imports, mainly from Asia, with India playing a dominant role in supplying the Senegalese market.

Rice remains the country’s most important staple, deeply rooted in local food culture and particularly central to the national dish Thieboudiène, where it is served with fish and vegetables. Consumption has been climbing steadily in both rural and urban areas, reflecting population growth, rising incomes, and shifting dietary habits.

Until 2018, annual rice imports were generally below one million tons, but demand pressures have since pushed volumes beyond that threshold. In 2022, the country brought in nearly 1.5 million tons, a historic peak that underscored the growing reliance on foreign supplies.

Although import volumes dipped slightly in 2023, they rose again in 2024, keeping Senegal firmly among the continent’s largest buyers. Today, Senegal ranks as the third-largest rice importer in Africa, after Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.

With the support of the African Development Fund, Senegal has been making strides to achieve self-sufficiency in rice production.

As part of its rice self-sufficiency strategy, the country has implemented the Food Security Support Project in the Louga, Matam, and Kaffrine Regions (PASA/LOUMAKAF).

Launched in 2014, the project has received US$40 million from the Global Agriculture & Food Security Program (GAFSP) and US$2.8 million in the form of a loan from the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional loans window.

In terms of agricultural infrastructure, the project has developed 2,500 hectares of rice fields, built five collection centers, and created around 40 farms on 390 hectares of irrigated land with 32 boreholes, along with 60 hectares of vegetable fields, as well as constructing 26 operational buildings.

In Ndiaye Kounda, implementing the project has led to better water management with the construction of a dam, capacity-building on rice-planting techniques and the provision of agricultural supplies and equipment.

Since it began, rice production from the association led by Satou has increased from 800 kilos to 3.2 tonnes per hectare.

Published Date: September 16, 2025