The French seed potato sector wants to strengthen its position in Senegal. A delegation of France Plants, the organisation of French seed potato producers, held a two-day mission in the country on 23 and 24 September 2026. According to the Senegalese press agency APS, France currently exports 9,000 to 10,000 tonnes of seed potatoes to Senegal each year.
The delegation was led by Bernard Quéré, director of France Plants. On 23 September it held a workshop in Dakar. On 24 September it visited farms and stores in the Niayes and Thiès areas. The programme included meetings with officials of the Senegalese government, the national research institute ISRA, the horticulture development centre CDH and private partners, the news site Seneweb reported. The French seed body Semae also took part.
Trials for storage and frying
French varieties will be tested in Senegal. The aim is to check how they adapt to the local climate and to different uses: frying, stews and industrial processing. Yann Kerven of the seed company Elorn Plants said the varieties must be tested “in your climate conditions” to see if they really meet local needs.
Storage is a key issue. The partners are looking at solar-powered cold stores. They also want to test varieties that keep well without cooling. Bernard Quéré said the mission goes beyond simple seed sales and covers the whole value chain, from production to processing, storage and consumption. According to APS, the French side promised certified seed, technical training and support for better storage.
Why it matters
Senegal has made food sovereignty a policy goal, and the French side presents quality seed and variety choice as key tools to raise yields and farm income there. Local growers need seed that performs in a hot climate and potatoes that keep well after harvest. This is why the talks join seed supply with storage.
For French seed growers, a stable outlet of about 10,000 tonnes a year is significant. Variety trials can decide which seed Senegal buys in the next seasons. The link between seed and storage technology also opens a market for cold store and equipment suppliers.
Photo: Potato harvest in Senegal (illustrative). Amadou250599Ba / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
