• The Agriculture Ministry plans to build a feed plant in Ziguinchor under the National Integrated Livestock Development Program (PNDIES).

• Senegal’s pig farming sector, valued at CFA70 billion ($123 million), contributes about 5% of national meat production.

• The new facility aims to lower feed costs, a key obstacle for the country’s roughly 700,000-head pig herd.

Senegal plans to establish a new animal feed factory in Ziguinchor, the heart of the country’s pig-farming region, as part of efforts to modernize and expand the livestock sector, which accounts for around 4% of GDP and employs nearly one-third of households.

The project will be implemented through the National Integrated Livestock Development Program (PNDIES), the Agriculture Ministry announced. Program coordinator Dame Sow said on November 2, citing the Senegalese Press Agency (APS), that the new facility aims to improve feed access for farmers — a major bottleneck in the sector’s growth.

“This modern infrastructure will support a sector that sustains hundreds of families in the region,” Sow said. “Feed prices remain a major obstacle for our breeders. This project can revive local production.”

Authorities have not yet disclosed details about the factory’s location, investment cost, or production capacity. However, the initiative signals growing government interest in developing the country’s pig-farming industry, which remains largely informal.

In July, the National Fund for Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral Development (FNDASP) held talks with an initiative committee to design a clear roadmap for organizing the sector into an interprofessional structure.

According to official data, Senegal’s pig herd totals about 700,000 heads. The domestic market is valued at roughly CFA70 billion ($123 million), with around 20% of production exported to neighboring countries such as Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau.

In 2022, pork ranked as Senegal’s fifth-largest meat source, representing 5.31% of total meat output of 320,619 tons. Poultry led with 44.77%, followed by cattle (29.49%), sheep (13.92%), and goats (6.50%).

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum