Senegal moves to organize its cassava sector through a new interprofessional body
The Senegalese government is backing a fresh effort to bring order to the cassava value chain as falling harvests raise concern about food security.
SENEGAL – The cassava sector in Senegal is taking formal steps toward the creation of an interprofessional association, as public agencies and industry actors seek better coordination in a crop that plays a key role in national food supply.
A press release issued on January 9 by the National Fund for Agro Sylvo Pastoral Development, known as FNDASP, confirmed that work is underway to set up the new body. Cassava remains the main tuber grown in Senegal, yet production has dropped sharply in recent seasons.
Steps toward a common structure
According to FNDASP, the process started with an organizational review of the sector. Authorities then rolled out information and awareness campaigns, carried out field surveys, and held validation workshops. These activities helped shape a new framework for how the sector should operate.
The fund also confirmed that regional general assemblies already took place in the three main cassava production zones. These include the North West, the Centre, and the South East. Producers, processors, and traders attended these meetings through their regional sub colleges.
FNDASP explained that the next phase will focus on formal governance. “The next step is to organise the constitutive general assemblies of the colleges in order to sustainably structure the players in the sector; set up the executive offices; formalize governance bodies through validated minutes. This process will be completed with the constitutive General Assembly of the Interprofession,” the fund said.
Officials believe that a clear structure will improve coordination between actors and support better planning across production, processing, and trade.
Production keeps falling
The push for reform comes as cassava output continues to slide. Data from the National Agency for Statistics and Demography shows that Senegal reached a production peak of 1.34 million tonnes during the 2020 to 2021 agricultural season.
Harvest volumes then dipped to 1.32 million tonnes in 2021 to 2022. Output stayed flat in 2022 to 2023 before dropping sharply to 824,734 tonnes in 2023 to 2024.
Early figures for the 2024 to 2025 season point to a further fall to 740,721 tonnes. Authorities still need to confirm these numbers, but the trend has raised concern among policy makers and sector players.
Through the planned interprofessional association, the government hopes to improve organization, strengthen competitiveness, and support the many actors who depend on cassava for income and food. The coming months will show whether this new structure can help steady production and restore confidence across the value chain.
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