The measures taken by the State to freeze imports of onions and potatoes and launch the 2025-2026 local marketing campaign, which are favorable to producers, were welcomed by the National Union of Traders and Industrialists of Senegal (UNACOIS) of Thiès, which expressed its satisfaction.

"We welcome this government decision to suspend imports of these products, from January 16, 2026, throughout the national territory, aimed at promoting the sale of local production, stabilizing prices and avoiding an overabundance of imported products on the market, in parallel with the start of the 2025-2026 marketing campaign," said Aly Ndiaye, vice-president of Unacois/Thiès.

This decision follows a mission carried out last December in Fouta by the Directorate of Horticulture, accompanied by representatives of the potato, cabbage, and carrot interprofessional organization, as well as consumer organizations. This tour aimed to assess the maturity level of local onion crops. The measure was formalized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade through a circular letter announcing both the freezing of imports of these two products and the launch of the marketing season for local horticultural production.

Aly Ndiaye notes that a second mission, conducted in early January 2026 in Kayar, Mbane, and Notto Gouye Diama to assess the progress of potato crops, included visits to cold storage facilities being installed in the Sangalkam area. These facilities are expected to have a storage capacity of 20,000 tons by March.

"These various visits have allowed the authorities to determine that the first local harvests should arrive on the market in sufficient quantities by the end of February," he estimated. He then added: these findings have led the Market Regulation Agency (ARM) to initiate consultations with various stakeholders in order to assess the stock levels of imported onions and potatoes.

Following these discussions, the ARM reportedly asked importers to ship their remaining orders before the end of December, after which imports would be suspended. To support this campaign, the ARM has allocated a marketing fund of one billion FCFA to assist the various stakeholders in the sector.

Production forecasts for the current year are estimated at approximately 245,000 tonnes of potatoes. And thanks to the storage facilities in place, the market should be supplied regularly, while limiting the risk of shortages.