Togo updates crop databases to strengthen five key value chains
Togo begins a nationwide process to register and organize actors in pineapple, mango, corn, soybean and cassava as part of wider farm sector reforms.
TOGO – Togo’s Ministry of Agriculture has launched a national effort to update databases for five major crop value chains as the country pushes to better organize its farm sector and support producers.
The initiative covers pineapple, mango, corn, soybean and cassava. Officials opened the process with a workshop in Lomé last week, where stakeholders reviewed membership criteria for professional groups within each value chain. The ministry leads the exercise with support from the Private Sector Competitiveness Support Program, known as ProComp.
Officials say the update will help them clearly identify farmers, traders, processors and other actors across the five sectors. They expect stronger coordination between public and private actors and better planning of support programs.
“We want to know exactly who is active in each value chain and under what structure,” a ministry official said during the workshop. “Clear data will help us support producers in a more direct and practical way.”
Three-phase rollout through April
Authorities will run the process until the end of April 2026. They will first review and validate membership criteria for each professional group. They will then train interprofessional technicians on registration methods before starting the formal registration of stakeholders.
The government believes the updated databases will help increase productivity and improve farm management. Officials also plan to use the data to introduce agroecological and climate-smart practices, along with improved management methods. Partner institutions will provide business support services to help producers access national, regional and international markets.
“When we organize the actors well, we improve their position in the market and support better incomes,” the official added.
Link to organic sector reform
The database update follows another recent step in the farm sector. Earlier this month, Togo began the final validation of a national reference framework for organic production. The National Association of Organic Agriculture in Togo, ANABIO-Togo, is leading that process with support from the German cooperation agency GIZ.
The new framework aims to give producers clearer national rules for certification and marketing. Until now, organic farming in Togo has operated without a single national guide.
ANABIO-Togo president Dr. Combé K. Sélom Anani said the work began several years ago. “Our commitment began in 2020 when we worked with actors to define a framework for the production and marketing of Togolese identity products in the Bio-SPG system,” he said. “We worked directly with producers and agroecological farms to put this document together.”
Authorities see both reforms as part of a broader plan to improve structure, raise output and support better working conditions for farmers across the country.
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