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Senegal rice MY2025/26 area and milled rice production are both forecast to increase about seven percent to 245,000 HA and 645,000 MT, respectively. In addition, the 23 percent farm gate price increase since 2022 will probably continue to motivate farmers to plant more.

While the United States holds a 5-year average of less than 1 percent market share ($20.7 million in 2023 exports), Senegal has a growing food manufacturing industry that seeks cost-competitive ingredients and is expanding its exports to neighboring countries.

Zambia’s production of its staple crop, corn, is expected to drop by more than 50 percent in marketing year 2024/25, due to extended dry spells associated with the El Niño event. Almost a million hectares of corn have been destroyed by the drought that forced the Zambian President to declare a “National Disaster and Emergency”.

Governments’ support for inputs and rice production have lifted area harvested and yields, boosting production across much of the region. Marketing year (MY) 2024/25 area harvested for rice in Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali is projected up 1.7 percent year-over-year.

Zambia’s production of its staple crop, corn, is expected to grow by 23 percent to 3.3 million metric tons (MMT) in marketing year (MY) 2023/24, mainly due to an upsurge in planted area.

For the region that includes Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali, rice area harvested and production for MY2023/24 is forecast up 1.2 and 2 percent year-over-year, respectively.

Despite lower production in marketing year (MY) 2022/23, Zambia’s production of its staple crop, corn, will be sufficient to meet domestic demand. Zambia’s corn crop is forecast to decline by 25 percent to 2.7 million metric tons (MMT) in MY 2022/23, after producing a record crop 3.6 MMT in MY 2021/22.

Rice production in Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali is forecast at 8.02 million metric tons (MMT) in MY 2022/23 on average weather, improved irrigation, and enhanced stability in production areas. The 15 percent jump from MY 2021/22 follows a growing season that was plagued by poor weather, militant activity and instability in Mali, and irrigation issues and pest prevalence in Senegal.

Zambia produced its largest corn crop on record in the 2021/22 MY. This bumper corn crop of 3.6 million tons follows on Zambia’s third largest corn crop of 3.4 million tons produced in the 2020/21 MY.

Marketing year (MY) 2021/22 area harvested for rice in Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali is expected to increase about 9 percent to 3.35 million HA as movement restrictions are eased in Guinea, planted area rebounds from flooding, and financing and input access for farmers increases.

In the 2020/21 MY, Zambia produced its second highest corn crop on record. This bumper corn crop of 3.4 million tons is 69 percent higher than the previous season’s crop of 2.0 million tons.

Marketing year (MY) 2020/21 (October to September), total area and rice production levels for Senegal, Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali are forecast to increase 2.6 percent and 3.0 percent...