For years Senegal has been the main export market for Dutch onions in the first half of the season. The Senegalese love an onion, as the average consumption per head of the population is around 27 to 30 kilos per year and the population is growing. To provide for the inhabitants of Senegal in the second half of the season - when the borders are closed to imports - J.P. Beemsterboar Food Traders has started a project in Notto Diobass to grow onions on an area of 100 hectares. The project was officially opened on Friday by the Minister of Trade, Alioune Sarr, in the presence of the Dutch ambassador Theo Peters and countless local residents.
According to Jan Beemsterboer the local residents are very enthusiastic about the plans. "We are employing 200 people with this work. We want to function as an model farm where the local growers can gain knowledge. These are often small-holders who haven't been educated, pay no attention to fruit exchange and grow bad quality onions. We are convinced we can grow good onions in this region, even if they aren't long lasting onions and so have less of a shelf life than we are used to in the Netherlands."
Jan Beemsterboer and the Dutch ambassador Theo Peters
"We have invested heavily in the infrastructure around the village and this has a strong impact on the local population. The village is right in the 'middle of nowhere' and thanks to road we built the community has been linked to the rest of the world. We also invested in a health post with first aid, a nursery room and medicines, we are going to put down troughs for the animals and the first stone has been laid for an education centre for the locals. It's great to see a village perk up like this," says Jan, who emphasises that they had a lot of support from the Dutch embassy.
Beemsterboer has a Dutchman and multiple Senegalese people full time at the cultivation in Senegal. The variety grown is the Orient F1 by Bejo, the only one in this region with hybrid varieties. When asked whether Beemsterboer will compete with the Dutch exporters with this local cultivation, Jan replies: "We only grow in Senegal when there are no Dutch onions allowed into the country. We want to market the onions slightly later to prevent the market from being flooded. Situations like now, when there are still Dutch onions available in Senegal, must be prevented at all times."
For more information:
J.P. Beemsterboer Food Traders
Tel: +31(0)226 396484
jbeemsterboer@beemsterboer.nl
www.beemsterboer.nl