Senegal suspends rice imports for one month

Senegal suspends rice imports for one month

Senegal, Africa’s third-largest rice importer and a fast-growing market for Vietnamese rice, has suspended imports for one month to support domestic producers, the ministry said.

Rice packs loaded for export. Senegal, a fast-growing market for Vietnamese rice, has suspended rice imports for one month to support domestic producers. — VNA/VNS Photo

Senegal, Africa’s third-largest rice importer and a fast-growing market for Vietnamese rice, has suspended rice imports for one month to support domestic producers, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Tuesday.

According to the Việt Nam Trade Office in Algeria, which also covers Senegal, the Senegalese Ministry of Industry and Trade decided to halt imports on November 11, aiming to ease pressure on domestic rice farmers as imported rice is more price-competitive.

Farmers in Dagana Province, located in the Senegal River Valley, said nearly 195,000 tonnes of paddy from the 2025 harvest remain unsold.

Senegal normally imports rice to cover around three months of consumption but current stockpiles are estimated to be sufficient for six months.

The Senegalese authorities have also fixed a single retail price of around US$0.62 for domestically produced broken and whole-grain rice.

Senegal is the third-largest rice importer in Africa, with an import volume of around one million tonnes per year, after Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.

Domestic production meets only about 30 per cent of total demand, which is estimated at around 2.2 million tonnes a year.

The country mainly imports 100 per cent broken rice, which accounts for 98 per cent of total rice imports, due to consumer preferences and lower prices.

Major suppliers include India, Thailand, Pakistan, Brazil and Việt Nam.

A report by the US Department of Agriculture estimated that Senegal will need to import 1.65 million tonnes of rice for 2025–26, or 70 per cent of domestic demand.

Việt Nam’s rice exports to Senegal have increased rapidly in recent years. Customs statistics showed that Việt Nam exported 165,624 tonnes to Senegal, worth $51.57 million, in the first ten months of this year, representing increases of 7,258 per cent in volume and 3,145 per cent in value.

According to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Việt Nam exported 7.5 million tonnes of rice valued at $3.83 billion in the first 11 months of this year, down 11.5 per cent in volume and 27.7 per cent in value from the same period in 2024.

The declines were mainly attributed to the Philippines’ move to tighten rice imports, with the extension of its rice import ban until the end of this year.

The Philippines remains the largest buyer of Vietnamese rice, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of Việt Nam’s total exports. 

Bizhub