Senegal has officially resumed peanut exports to the international market, a decision highly anticipated by players in the sector after two years of suspension. The announcement was made on Tuesday in Diamniadio, near Dakar, by the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Serigne Gueye Diop, after a meeting with professionals in the sector and several partners strategic.

According to the minister, exporters are now allowed to ship peanuts to China and other destinations, within the framework of the provisions defined by the government. This recovery marks a turning point for the peanut industry, historical pillar of the Senegalese agricultural economy, strongly impacted by the restrictions imposed in recent years.

Serigne Gueye Diop recalled that the suspension of exports was aimed at maintaining supplying the local market, to support processing units national companies, in particular oil mills, and to secure seed capital. For The current campaign, the State has set a minimum price of 305 CFA francs per kilogram (approximately $0.54), in order to protect producers' incomes.

The lifting of restrictions, however, come with strict conditions. The minister has insisted on the respect of quality standards, the traceability of operations commercial transactions and the obligation to repatriate foreign currency from exports to Senegal, requirements considered essential to oversee the liberalization of the sector.

In his projections, the Société Nationale de Commercialization des Oleagineux du Senegal (Sonacos) plans to collect between 250,000 and 450,000 tons of peanuts during the campaign. The volume authorized for export is, for its part, between 300,000 and 450,000 tons. An orientation that, according to the authorities, reflects the State's desire to open the market while multiplying opportunities for producers.