Actors and stakeholders in Senegal’s fresh mango value chain, buoyed by the news that mango exports increased in 2018 along with other positive developments in the sector, are hoping the results bode well for the coming mango season.
The excitement stems from the results of last year’s mango production season that were shared at a workshop organized by the Senegalese Inter-Profession of Mango Actors (Interprofession des Acteurs de la Mangue au Senegal) or “IAMS”, with the support of the Feed the Future Program for Increasing Investment in Agriculture in Senegal, implemented by Africa Lead. The workshop on “The Evaluation of the 2017-2018 Mango Production Campaign” was held from March 13-14, 2019 in Ziguinchor, in Senegal’s Casamance Region, the heart of the country’s mango crop production.
Mangoes are a major horticultural crop in Senegal. They hold a prominent place in the country’s agricultural sector owing to widespread production, number of people employed, and its contribution to the country’s exports.
Africa Lead provided support to IAMS to review the performance of the different value links in the mango sector during the 2017-2018 production seasons and organize the two-day workshop. The evaluation is a first in that it reviews the overall value chain and the first conducted by sector stakeholders; most studies, including the government’s annual report, focus mostly on export data. Among the results, it’s estimated that in 2018 mango exports increased to 21,430 tons, up from 17, 162 tons in 2017.
The workshop brought together 41 participants, 13 of them women, representing the different stakeholders in the mango sector: producers, processors, packing, packaging, traders, exporters, transporters, trackers, and collectors along with representatives from various line ministries, technical and financial partners, an agricultural research institute, and local development organizations.
“The future potential for Senegal’s mango sector is immense,” said Mamour Gueye, IAMS vice president in his opening remarks.
A cross section of actors and stakeholders participated in the Senegal Interprofession of Mango Actors “Evaluation of the 2017-2018 Mango Production Campaign Workshop” held March 13-14, 2019 in Ziguinchor, the Casamance Region, the heart of Senegal’s mango production. Photo Credit/Africa Lead
“We’ll never be able to exploit it 100% because it’s an enormous potential,” he said. He stressed the significance of the attendance diversity present at the meeting. “An inter-profession is all the actors,” he continued. “It’s a linked chain. We (the sector) can’t take off without the other.” He also stressed that mango is a regional product and the importance of IAMS being part of the West African Regional Mango Alliance (WARMA/ARMAO). Participants viewed the two short films (film one and film two) that were created from the WARMA/ARMAO’s first general assembly meeting held in Dakar, Senegal in September 2018.
Africa Lead’s support to the IAMS 2017-2018 Mango season evaluation workshop is a follow up to the assistance provided in 2017, which led to the Association’s creation. Africa Lead will continue to support IAMS as it follows up on the recommendations resulting from the workshop.