State/Copega agreement to facilitate exports January 13, 2026

What if the peanut marketing campaign was resolved? The agreement between the State of Senegal and exporters, grouped within the Confederation of Peanut Industry Operators (Copega), bodes well for a better future for farmers.

Faced with the difficulties encountered in the marketing of peanuts, the State of Senegal has reached an agreement with exporters grouped within the Confederation of Peanut Industry Operators (Copega). According to a document from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock, this commitment aims to ensure rapid and fluid flow of national production while guaranteeing a remunerative price for producers.

Concretely, Copega exporters have committed to purchasing and exporting between 300,000 and 450,000 tonnes of peanut seeds, at the guaranteed floor price of 305 FCfa per kilogram. “This measure constitutes an important lever to relieve congestion at collection points and support the income of farmers during the marketing period,” specifies the document.

The agreement also stipulates that exports are officially authorized for Copega members with the removal of the tax of 40 FCfa per kilogram previously required. In return, “exporters will have to strictly comply with the rules in force, in particular the repatriation of currencies and the provision of all proof of export, in order to preserve the economic interests of the country,” adds the ministry.

Taking stock of the collection campaign, the document indicates that as of January 11, 2026, Sonacos has already received 97,000 tonnes of peanut seeds, compared to 77,000 tonnes at the same period during the previous campaign. However, financing needs remain significant, with a daily rate estimated between 1 and 1.3 billion FCFA, justifying the mobilization of several lines of credit with the support of the Ministry of Finance and Budget.

The State also plans to secure at least 50 billion FCfa for the payment of private storage operators, with the aim of accelerating primary collection directly from producers. “Through the agreement with Copega, the Senegalese authorities are banking on strong involvement of the private exporting sector to stabilize the market, reduce logistical tensions and guarantee the success of the 2025/2026 peanut campaign, a strategic pillar of the national agricultural economy,” concludes the document.

However, if the State has decided today to reach an agreement with exporters, it must be noted that the organization of exports has always been regulated. According to a ministry document, it was Decree No. 2010-15 of January 13, 2010 which liberalized the export of peanuts in order to allow producers to sell their surpluses during high harvest years.

This measure aimed to create new outlets for producers, but total opening without supervision has sometimes compromised the supply of local processors and the availability of seeds for sowing. It is to remedy these effects that the State has resorted to one-off regulatory measures or export taxes, either to limit the outflow of seeds or to mobilize financial resources.

It is therefore, through this new measure, to regulate the export of peanuts by introducing regulatory mechanisms guaranteeing the security of seeds, sufficient supply for the local industry and rigorous management of exports.

O.FEDIOR