About food security: the visit in Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal

The agricultural sector in Africa

The agricultural sector is important for the economies of these three African countries. During the visit, both parties declared their willingness to strengthen their relations in agriculture, particularly in light of the need to safeguard global food security.

Opportunities for increasing exports to Africa

In his talks with the African partners, Minister Bartosik stressed the interest of the Polish agri-food sector in increasing exports to their markets. He also expressed his expectation of the repeal of existing unjustified restrictions hampering the development of mutual trade.

Nigeria

During his stay in Nigeria Minister Bartosik signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the Polish-Nigerian Cooperation in the Field of Agriculture. We expect that the implementation of the provisions of this document will contribute to the activation of mutual cooperation, in the scope of both initiatives supporting the development of agricultural trade and contacts related to scientific research.

Côte d'Ivoire

During the visit in Côte d'Ivoire the parties expressed their willingness to develop bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector. Minister Bartosik informed that, as a large food producer and also a reliable and attractive European partner, Poland is ready to enter into contacts with CIV trade partners.

Both parties recognised that the present value and volume of their trade was not satisfactory. They agreed that, in order to boost mutual trade, an economic forum would be convened, with its thematic range including, among others, agriculture.

The talks in Abidjan also addressed the global effects of the war which Russia had waged in Ukraine, particularly with regard to the challenges related to safeguarding food security in African countries. The representatives of Côte d'Ivoire unequivocally spoke out against the Russian aggression.

Within the framework of the visit in Abidjan, Minister Bartosik met with the Minister of Animal Production and Fish Resources of Côte d'Ivoire, who expressed his interest in entering into cooperation in the areas of scientific research, technical issues and animal farming. He also held talks with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Côte d'Ivoire, who proposed the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Agriculture between Poland and Côte d'Ivoire.

Polish exports to Africa

Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal are important importers of Polish food. In 6 months of 2022, we exported to Senegal agri-food products with a value of EUR 66.3 million. The main exports include malt extract, processed flour-based products and wheat (as well as curds and cheeses). Senegal takes a 3^rd position among African countries in terms of imports of agri-food products from Poland.

In the first half of 2022, the value of agricultural exports to the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire was about EUR 28 million. In that period, Poland exported mainly: processed flour-based products, wheat and meslin, as well as edible cattle and pig offal.

According to preliminary data, in the period from January to June 2022, the value of the exports to Nigeria was EUR 46.6 million. The main exports to Nigeria include: wheat, milk, cream, malt extract, processed flour-based products and whey.

Display photo 1 in the gallery.Display photo 2 in the gallery.