Be part of developing the potential of Africa’s agricultural industry
“Africa needs to learn to feed itself and contribute to feeding the world. We have the potential, with around 60% of arable land here that is not exploited. It is paradoxical that we still need to import the essentials of what we need”. HE Macky SALL, President, Republic of Senegal
SIAGRO 2023, the 13th International West & Central African Agricultural Exhibition & Conference will take place from the 30th November – 2nd December 2023 at the King Fahd Palace Hotel, Dakar, Senegal. SIAGRO is an established event with a participation of over 100 exhibitors and 10,000 trade visitors.
The event will be the largest event of its kind in West Africa and is supported at the highest level by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Equipment, Republic of Senegal. The event will be organised by SENCOMANE and AME Trade Ltd.
SIAGRO will be a regional event attracting professionals from the agrifood business and industries of the West and Central African region, as well as investors, buyers, and service providers.
The main theme of SIAGRO 2023 will be “Developing agricultural innovation systems to achieve food sovereignty”.
SIAGRO 2023 will comprise of:
A 3-DAY TRADE EVENT
Creating endless business opportunities over the course of three-day trade event. Promote your equipment, materials, products, and services to professionals, investors, and buyers.
INFORMATIVE WORKSHOPS
Roundtable and interactive workshops to find out the latest market intelligence with regards to the region’s agriculture sector.
DEDICATED MOBILE APP
Access and interact with the list of participants to exchange contacts & network online via the app or desktop platform.
NETWORKING EVENTS
Dedicated B2B area, cocktails, gala dinners, touristic and technical excursions
How can Senegal’s abundant agricultural potential make the country into a major exporter?
- Encourage rural development incorporating training, employment, formalisation of cooperatives and SME creation.
- Make SIAGRO the regional and international marketplace for West Africa’s agricultural industry.
- Contribute to the promotion of the development of local production and the mobilization of financial resources.
- Promote and develop agriculture through increasing production, food self-sufficiency, processing, conditioning, and packaging of products.
- Develop financial and technical partnerships through financial investment, microfinance, and innovative financial solutions.
- Promote the use of biofuels and renewable energies.
Senegal’s government has implemented major programs to achieve food sovereignty.
- In 2021, Senegal’s imports of food & agricultural products were valued at almost $3 billion among of which $1 billion for consumer-oriented products (70% of its food and agricultural needs)
- Although only 16.6 percent of the land is arable, agriculture employs 60 percent of the workforce, and accounts for about 16 percent of GDP in 2021.
- The Government has implemented major programs to improve, strengthen and modernise agricultural production notably the Programme to Accelerate the Pace of Agriculture (PRACAS)
- 4 million hectares (19% of the national land area) have been attributed to agriculture, of which only 2.5 million hectares are being cultivated, leaving 1.5 million hectares vacant.
How can Senegal’s abundant agricultural potential make the country into a major exporter?
- Senegal intends to increase the production of fruits and vegetables to 2 million tonnes by 2023, to achieve this, an additional 350,000 tonnes of vegetables and fruit per year will be needed. Vegetables account for more than 80% of horticultural stock,thanks to potatoes and onions. The main fruits grown are mango, banana, and citrus fruits.
- An ideal location: Senegal is one of the sub-Saharan African countries closest to the major European market, coupled with abundant land and water resources suitable for agricultural production.
- Several positive factors determine Senegal’s competitiveness in agriculture: including off-season export horticulture (especially green beans, cherry tomatoes, melon, and sweet corn),.
- Senegal is an important supplier of export grade mango In 2019 more than 14 000 tons of fresh mango left Senegal, largely for the European Union, doubling volumes from the preceding 5-year period.