Chapter 12. Smallholder participation in value chains: The case of rice in Sénégal 393
- Introduction
Since 1985, rice production in West Africa has doubled, but consumption of rice has increased even more
rapidly. This has resulted in the increasing dependence of West African countries on rice imports (Seck et al.,
2010). Rice is the most consumed cereal in Senegal (about 1.1 million tonnes in 2009). However, only 45
percent of consumption is covered by domestic production; the rest is imported from India, Thailand, and Viet
Nam (FAO, 2011). This large import dependency makes Senegal vulnerable to volatility in the international
rice market (Seck et al., 2010). In response to the 2008 food crisis, the government in Senegal has placed rice
on higher priority for self-sufficiency and increased investments to boost production. However, to successfully
achieve self-sufficiency, Senegal will not only have to invest in productivity (supply push), but will need to
tackle the demand side as well (demand pull). One of the major challenges will consist of linking smallholder
farmers to large urban consumption markets by: (i) increasing marketable surplus; (ii) consolidating supply;
and (iii) adapting quality of rice to conform to urban consumer standards (Demont and Rizzotto, 2012).
In this chapter we analyse current and potential participation of smallholders in rice value chains in
Senegal. We formulate policy recommendations to reduce the constraints for smallholder market
participation, especially with respect to integration in the rapidly growing urban markets.
- Overview of consumption, production and trade
Before starting a more detailed analysis of the value chain of rice, we give a short overview of the
production and consumption patterns, the imports and the national policies in the Senegalese rice sector.
2.1 Consumption
Since the 1980s, rice consumption has surpassed the consumption of more traditional crops such as
sorghum and millet and has become the main staple food consumed in Senegal (Table 1). In 2005 the
consumption of rice was 68.5 kg per capita, compared to 42.3 kg in 1975.^2 More than 30 percent of
the daily calorie intake in Senegal currently comes from rice.
(^2) By 2013, these consumption rates have reached 86.6 kg per capita.
Table 1. Consumption of cereals and share of total calorie intake in Senegal in 1975, 1990 and 2005
1975 1990 2005
kg/cap/yr % of kcal kg/cap/yr % of kcal kg/cap/yr % of kcal
Millet 89.3 28.4 58.3 18.4 21 6.4
Rice 42.3 19.7 62.1 28.5 68.5 30.8
Sorghum 23.6 8.9 17.2 6.4 10.2 3.7
Wheat 18.5 6.4 25.5 8.7 29 9.6
Maize 10.3 4 15.9 6.1 33.8 12.6
Total kcal/cap/day 2,109 2,135 2,199
Source: FAOSTAT (2010)