• CIFOB set a guaranteed minimum price of CFA165 per kilogram for onions.
• The mechanism is the first price-floor system ever implemented in the country’s onion sector.
• The measure follows multi-stakeholder consultations involving producers, traders, transporters and government services.

Burkina Faso’s interprofessional onion committee CIFOB announced on December 1 that it set a guaranteed minimum purchase price of CFA165 per kilogram for onions sold by producers, according to local outlet Le Faso.net. The committee adopted the decision to address persistent price volatility in the country’s most traded vegetable crop.

The mechanism marks the first formal use of a price floor in the onion value chain. The decision followed multi-stakeholder consultations held during a national workshop on November 19–20. The Farmers' Confederation of Burkina Faso (CPF) and the National Union of Onion Producers (UNAPOB) organized the event, which gathered producers, traders, transporters, state agencies and technical partners.

Stakeholders said the price-floor system mirrors approaches already used in strategic export sectors such as sesame and cashew. They added that the mechanism aims to guarantee decent farm-gate income while preserving competitiveness in domestic and regional markets.

CIFOB vice-president Adama Nassa said, “This guaranteed minimum price means that no one can buy onions from producers below the amount we have set. We must encourage producers if we want onions to remain available on the market. Through awareness campaigns, we will try to ensure compliance with this minimum price.”

Authorities and industry actors expect the mechanism to stabilize supply, strengthen producer commitment and improve productivity. Burkina Faso produced about 420,000 tonnes of onions in 2021, according to data from the Export Promotion Agency. The sector involves more than 700,000 vegetable farmers nationwide, making it one of the country’s largest agricultural value chains.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum