Browse Data and Analysis

The United States Department of Agriculture, led by the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, finalized new export health certificates for several animal products in three West African countries.

This report provides information on export certificates and other certification/accreditation required for imported food and agriculture products, including live animals. There is no update for 2024.

This report is an annual update of Senegal’s food and feed regulations and governmental regulatory bodies and enforcement mechanisms. It provides information and guidance on import requirements, procedures, and documentation.

FAS/Managua projects MY 2025/26 sugar production to reach 840,000 metric tons, up ten percent from MY 2024/25, assuming a more balanced rainy season and an increase in sugarcane plantations.

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.

Burkina Faso, once the leader in West Africa cotton production, now ranks third (after Mali and Benin) due to its ongoing security challenges, though production is forecast to start recovering in MY2025/26.

Total Saudi wheat imports for 2025/26 are forecast to decline 10 percent to 3.2 million metric tons (MMT), due to projected high local production. Saudi barley imports for MY 2025/26 are projected to increase by 10 percent to 3.3 MMT compared to last MY.

The HRI sector is witnessing remarkable growth, fueled by urbanization, a surging population, rising disposable incomes, shifting social and cultural trends, and a thriving tourism industry. The Saudi food retail market, currently valued at $30 billion, is projected to grow by another $15 billion by 2030.

The ongoing transformation of Saudi Arabia bodes well for the retail food sector. In 2023, the Saudi food retail market was estimated at more than $51 billion and projected to increase by more than 5 percent annually in the coming years due to the continued urbanization, growing population, changing shopping habits, expansion of physical store locations , and increasing popularity of online platforms.

Record-high remittances continue to boost consumer spending in 2024. U.S. agricultural exports to Nicaragua through September 2024 are up four percent compared to the same period in 2023.

MY2024/25 cotton area harvested for Senegal, Mali, and Burkina Faso is estimated to decrease 17 percent to 981,000 HA. This is mainly due to decreased planted area resulting from a late rainy season in all three countries, as well as civil conflict in Burkina Faso.

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.