Browse Data and Analysis

This is a regional report on West Africa that primarily covers Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Mali, but also provides brief overviews in certain sections for Niger, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Mauritania.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

On Thursday, February 25, 2021, the Flemish Council for Permit Disputes (RvVB) faulted the Flemish nitrogen emission control program (PAS in Dutch), rejecting a demand for a new poultry barn permit...

On March 10, 2021, the Belgian retail group Colruyt announced that it would launch the Eco-Score for products of its private label brand.

Belgium is a Member State of the European Union (EU) and applies the certification requirements described in the European Union Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS)...

The Government of Senegal is reviewing and revising its new biosafety law which may include language for an expedited approval process for certain genetically engineered (GE) products.

In marketing year (MY) 2019/20, Bulgaria’s total fresh deciduous fruit crop declined by seven percent. Apple production decreased by 13 percent from MY 2018/19, as unfavorable weather conditions...

For the third year in a row since the European ban on use of neonicotinoids from 2018, Belgium will grant a derogation for sugar beet.

On November 20, 2020, the European Commission declared Belgium free of African Swine Fever (ASF), one year after the last finding of an ASF infection.