Senegalese horticulture grows but faces challenges

Horticulture is an increasingly important sub-sector of the Senegalese economy, with strong support to encourage investment for export production and help to move agriculture away from dependence on groundnut as the main cash crop. Yet the horticultural sector faces many teething problems that need to be addressed for it to grow. The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Africa works to raise awareness of hazardous pesticide practice and train farmers in alternatives. It did a study of some of issues in this area in order to help farmers better understand and benefit from the requirements of commercial horticulture.

Up to about the mid-1990s, 80% of Senegal's horticulture produce originated from small and medium producers. Since then their role has been declining, as large-scale commercial producers have entered the market, in particular for export. Some of these companies
run integrated operations, growing, packing and shipping their own produce, while others work with out growers or buy from independent smallholders. Whilst horticulture exports have more than doubled since 1995, production is concentrating in fewer and fewer hands: today just five producers account for 80% exports, with just one company accounting for 30%.

The export sector may be thriving but the livelihoods of independent smallholders are increasingly in jeopardy, particularly since the introduction of stricter EU regulations on pesticide residue levels. One consequence is that exporters are no longer prepared to subcontract growers or buy smallholder produce unless they can ensure quality and food safety compliance via training and
close supervision. Yet smallholders still provide a considerable proportion of Senegalese export horticulture, with export companies providing inputs and monitoring the crops.

A whole system is underway to make sure field protocols are followed. Senegal enjoys a good market in the European off-season during November to April, notably for green bean, its major vegetable export crop, and cherry tomato. Other crops exported include mango, melon, okra and chilli pepper. Senegal is now the second largest non-European supplier of tomato during the winter months, most of the produce going to France and Belgium. But export remains a minor part of total horticulture production. The crops produced in the highest volume are onion, sweet potato, tomato, cabbage and melon. Tomato is grown for fresh consumption and for processing into tomato paste, an important component of the Senegalese diet. Onion and potato growers have been hard hit in recent years by the dumping below production costs of very cheap Dutch produce. One smallholder support project endeavours to improve the attractiveness of Senegalese onions through better storage facilities and marketing via a quality label.

Quality standards and control are also critical issues for the export sector, particularly with the arrival of stricter Maximum Residue Levels in the EU and increasingly demanding private standards, most notably those of EurepGAP. A survey carried out by PAN
showed that although most growers were not supplying for export, 60% said they knew about MRLs and EU requirements. Some growers mentioned reduced production costs through reducing pesticide use, while others had abandoned growing crops for export.

A survey showed most farmers had not fully changed their practice in response to training on Integrated Pest Management or organic methods. Farmers explained that they were unwilling to change their pesticide practice because their main concern was to avoid risking yield loss, yet the quality of their crops was very poor with most leaves riddled with holes. Farmers visited by researchers described a long list of different insecticides they applied, but apparently with little success, with the researchers suspecting that the pests had probably developed resistance. In contrast, two large-scale export farms visited were taking considerable care with pesticide handling and implementing several methods to reduce use.

A major problem is the lack of incentives or penalties for smallholders to change practice. Many Senegalese consumers lack knowledge about the harmful effects of residues in food and other intrinsic quality factors, so there is no real demand for safe and healthy fruit and vegetables. Encouraging consumers to demand safer production and to pay a fair price to reward quality will be a major challenge, but essential to promote safer production.

Publication date: March 29 2007
Author: Chido Makunike
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