This archive report was first published on 3 September 2021.
Senegal's capital Dakar is surrounded by a satellite town, Bambilor, where 25-kilo sacks of onions are piled up on pavements, ignored by passers-by. The West African country is in the middle of a supply glut, with prices plummeting and heaps of the pungent vegetables left to rot by the roadside.
Farmer Diongue Masseye, 71, is standing inside a 450 square metre warehouse in Bambilor, where his unsold produce has started to sprout. He blames the problem on increased foreign competition and a lack of storage capacity.
However, the government also argues that farmers have overproduced this year, flooding the market with onions and depressing prices. Masseye said prices had nearly halved, with a 25-kilo sack of onions fetching the equivalent of about 13 euros ($15) a few months ago, but are now worth about seven euros ($8).
The onion sector has long been plagued by problems, with almost a third of the crop lost every year. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation noted in a 2018 report that the use of low-quality seeds by Senegalese farmers contributes to the problem.
Consumers are shying away from the damaged goods, and many people will buy imported onions. The president of Senegal's onion producers association, Boubacar Sall, said the government suspended onion imports in January in a bid to help struggling locals. However, foreign-owned farms in Senegal are still producing onions, often with better storage facilities.
