Senegal’s wheat imports rise 30.3% to 904,947 tonnes as milling demand grows
Senegal imported 904,947 tonnes of wheat in 2024, up 30.3% from 2020, as domestic consumption strengthened. A network of about ten mills processes most of the grain, while a smaller share is exported as flour to neighboring West African markets.
Imports approach the one-million-tonne mark
Senegal imported 904,947 tonnes of wheat in 2024, bringing the country close to the symbolic threshold of one million tonnes and reinforcing its position among West Africa’s largest wheat markets. Agence Ecofin ranks Senegal as the region’s third-largest importer, alongside the larger markets of Nigeria and Ghana.
Data compiled by Senegal’s National Agency for Statistics and Demography, or ANSD, show that purchases of imported common wheat increased by 30.3% over five years. Volumes rose from 693,996 tonnes in 2020 to 904,947 tonnes in 2024. Local wheat production remains negligible, meaning that imports cover almost all demand from consumers and processors.
Wheat is Senegal’s second-largest food import expense after rice. The value of purchases reached 171.37 billion CFA francs in 2024. Agence Ecofin has reported different dollar conversions for that amount in separate articles, including $301.3 million and $303.5 million, while the CFA-franc figure is consistent.
Lower prices limit the import bill
The rise in physical demand did not produce an equivalent increase in expenditure during 2024. According to ANSD data cited by Agence Ecofin, the wheat import bill fell by 8.4% from the previous year, even as volumes increased by 0.8%. This was the second consecutive annual increase in import volume and the second consecutive decline in value.
ANSD linked the divergence to lower international wheat prices. Its trade analysis said global wheat quotations declined by 23.9% in 2024 after falling by 19.6% in 2023. For Senegalese millers and importers, that price environment allowed the industry to secure slightly more grain while spending less than a year earlier.
France, Russia, Lithuania and Poland were the principal origins of Senegal’s imported wheat in 2024, according to the public statistics agency. This supplier mix ties the Senegalese milling sector closely to European and Black Sea production, pricing and logistics.
Mills serve domestic and regional demand
About ten flour mills account for Senegal’s wheat purchases. Agence Ecofin identifies Grands Moulins de Dakar, Grands Moulins du Sahel, MS, FKS, NMA and Olam among the most significant operators by wheat-processing capacity. Most imported grain is milled and consumed domestically, particularly through flour-based foods.
A smaller portion supports regional flour trade. ANSD data show that Senegal exported an average of 13,861 tonnes of common-wheat flour per year between 2020 and 2023, with shipments peaking at 29,249 tonnes in 2021. Average annual export revenue was 3.86 billion CFA francs over the period and reached a high of 7.7 billion CFA francs in 2021. Rising consumption therefore strengthens Senegal’s role both as a major wheat buyer and as a processing base supplying nearby West African markets.
