• Senegal plans CFA427 billion ($750.7 million) in agricultural spending for 2026, up 37.88% from 2025.
• The increase stems mainly from new planned external financing agreements for agricultural programmes.
• Senegal imported $1.88 billion of food annually between 2021 and 2023, according to UNCTAD.

Senegal plans to raise its 2026 agriculture budget by nearly 38% as the government scales up investments to strengthen food security and modernise the sector, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty said on 19 November.

The ministry said in a statement that the government authorised public spending commitments of CFA427 billion ($750.7 million) for the 2026 budget. The allocation exceeds the amount approved under the 2025 finance bill by 37.88%.

The ministry said the increase mainly reflects expectations of new external financing agreements for agricultural projects and programmes.

In its 2026 draft finance bill published on 16 October, the government reaffirmed its goal of turning Senegal into an agricultural power capable of achieving food sovereignty. It structured its strategy around three pillars: raising agricultural output, strengthening innovation through research, and improving governance in the sector.

The government outlined several measures to operationalise these priorities. These include establishing Community Agricultural Cooperatives (CACs), expanding irrigation and water-management infrastructure, and upgrading storage, conservation and processing facilities for crops and livestock. Authorities also aim to expand agricultural mechanisation through dedicated national services.

In August, the agriculture ministry announced plans to build a tractor and farm-equipment assembly plant in partnership with Turkey’s Albayrak Group and other technical and financial partners.

Reducing dependence on food imports remains a central objective of Senegal’s push for food sovereignty. In its July 2025 report The State of Commodity Dependence, UNCTAD said Senegal imported an annual average of $1.88 billion in food between 2021 and 2023.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum