Senegal reopens sugar imports as government and local producer dispute supply outlook

Imports resume before the August festivals

Senegal has authorized sugar imports from 15 July, ending a suspension introduced in December 2025. According to La Tribune, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce said the measure was intended to secure market supplies and prepare for higher demand during the Magal and Gamou religious festivals in August.

National sugar consumption averages 25,000 tonnes per month and could rise significantly during the festive period, according to an official government statement cited by La Tribune. The authorities also reported that stocks held by Compagnie sucrière du Sénégal, or CSS, had declined as of 13 July.

The government said imports traditionally supplement local production in August, September, October and November. It maintained that reopening the market remained compatible with its policies of import substitution, strengthening the domestic sugar industry and protecting Senegalese purchasing power.

CSS challenges the timing

CSS, Senegal’s only sugar producer and a company controlled by Groupe Mimran, disputes the government’s assessment. Company adviser Louis Lamotte said CSS had enough sugar to supply the market until the end of August. The producer estimates that 50,000 tonnes from its annual output remain available.

CSS produces approximately 140,000 tonnes of sugar per year. It argues that allowing imported sugar to arrive from mid-July could leave locally produced stocks unsold while the company is seeking to market its harvest and preserve the economic balance of its operations.

Lamotte also accused the authorities of undermining incentives for domestic production and questioned whether the decision favored importers. The dispute exposes a recurring policy conflict: the government must prevent shortages and limit pressure on consumer prices while leaving sufficient market space for the domestic producer to sell its output and recover its costs.

Domestic output remains below consumption

Senegal consumes close to 300,000 tonnes of sugar annually, more than twice CSS’s approximate yearly production. Data from the National Agency of Statistics and Demography, cited by La Tribune, show that the country imported 264,000 tonnes of raw and refined sugar in 2024. Those purchases were valued at CFAF59.3 billion, equivalent to approximately €90.4 million.

The figures underline Senegal’s continued dependence on external supply even while the government promotes food sovereignty and import substitution. For importers and traders, the authorization restores access to a market that normally requires foreign sugar during several months of the year. For CSS, the immediate risk is that imported volumes arrive before its remaining 50,000 tonnes have been absorbed. The government’s challenge is therefore not whether imports are needed over the full year, but how their timing affects availability, prices and the commercial position of the country’s sole producer.