Senegal River valley rice growers march at Ross Béthio over unsold stocks, demand minister's resignation
Rice producers from the Senegal River valley marched in Ross Béthio to protest a persistent glut of unsold rice and demand the resignation of Industry and Commerce Minister Serigne Guèye Diop. They say about 448,000 t of white rice worth close to 157 billion CFA francs cannot be sold while roughly 600,000 t of imported rice sits on the market.
Senegal River valley rice growers march at Ross Béthio
Rice producers from the Senegal River valley staged a peaceful march on Monday in Ross Béthio, in the Saint-Louis region, to protest a persistent glut of unsold rice and to demand the resignation of Serigne Guèye Diop, Minister of Industry and Commerce, seneweb.com reported. The demonstration was organised by the Comité interprofessionnel de la filière riz (Ciriz) and described as an "agricultural meeting" aimed at alerting authorities to the economic difficulties facing the sector.
Ousseynou Ndiaye, honorary president of Ciriz, said the growers were not protesting for political reasons but for their survival. "We are holding an agricultural meeting today for our survival. For three campaigns we have faced unsold stocks that put farms in serious difficulty," he said, according to seneweb.com. The producers hold the minister responsible for the situation.
Record harvests, no buyers
According to Ndiaye, the valley has recorded historic harvests over recent campaigns. In 2025, production reached 303,000 t of paddy at an average yield of 6.7 t/ha, equivalent to about 187,000 t of white rice. To that volume the producers add 142,000 t of paddy from the 2025-2026 wintering season, or roughly 85,000 t of white rice, plus a current counter-season crop forecast at 284,000 t of paddy, or 176,000 t of white rice.
In total, the growers estimate that close to 448,000 t of white rice — corresponding to 729,000 t of paddy — is affected, with a value put at nearly 157 billion CFA francs.
Imported stocks blamed
Industry leaders say the crisis is worsened by large stocks of imported rice on the Senegalese market. They recall that a marketing convention was signed on 12 November 2025 with the Ministry of Commerce to limit imports. At that time, imported rice stocks already stood at roughly 600,000 t, close to six months of national consumption. According to the producers, the planned measures were never applied, allowing imports to continue while local harvests piled up in rice mills and on farms.
Ndiaye attributes the situation to mismanagement of the file by Minister Serigne Guèye Diop. He noted that a similar crisis had occurred under President Macky Sall but was quickly resolved through measures taken by the former Commerce Minister, Alioune Sarr.
Financial fallout and demands
The producers fear heavy consequences for the coming agricultural campaigns. Short of liquidity, many growers say they can no longer repay their bank loans or finance the next planting. Agricultural service providers and agro-industries also risk being affected if the current stocks are not cleared quickly.
The Ciriz is calling on all actors in the sector to unite in defence of their common interests. The producers are requesting an urgent audience with the President of the Republic or, failing that, the Prime Minister, and are demanding immediate measures to clear the white rice held by mills and the paddy stored by farmers. Over the longer term, they want conditions that support sustainable rice farming, arguing that unsold stocks are now the main obstacle to Senegal's food-sovereignty goal.
