The National Federation of Private Storage and Transport Operators of Senegal (FNOPST) held its board meeting this Saturday in the town of Mbossé Coumba Djiguène. "The purpose of this meeting was to evaluate last year's marketing campaign, but also to formulate, if necessary, recommendations to improve the organization and execution of the next campaign," said the chairman of the board, Cheikh Tall.

According to him, this board meeting was held to review the 2025-2026 marketing campaign and, on the other hand, to outline the prospects for the 2026-2027 agricultural campaign. "Regarding the 2025-2026 marketing campaign, it must be said that we had an exceptional one. The overall results are certainly positive, but there were difficulties related to the slow unloading process. Trucks were forced to wait at least two weeks to be able to unload, which increases costs for carriers," he explains.

Another major problem is payment delays. Operators are facing significant obstacles in this area. "As of today, we are two months behind. For regular payments under our contracts, we were supposed to be paid within 48 hours," laments Cheikh Tall. Regarding seeds, operators are waiting for action from the authorities, especially since the rainy season is fast approaching. "It's April, and the deadline is in two months," he points out.

These operators want payments to be processed quickly to ease the burden on banks. Last year, a significant improvement in distribution was noted. This year, the FNOPST hopes the ministry will take the initiative, particularly in delivering supplies on time to remote areas.