Burkina Faso suspends shea exports "until further notice"

Burkina Faso, the world's second-largest exporter of shea nuts, has suspended exports indefinitely to prioritize local processing. This decision, made by the military government, aims to support national industries and is part of a broader strategy to focus on national sovereignty and economic development. The shea nut sector, which was responsible for generating $60 million in 2019, employs a significant portion of the population and is valued for its nutritional and cosmetic properties. Additionally, the government has exempted profits from the production of certain cereals from tax, further supporting local agriculture.

Burkina Faso has suspended "until further notice" its exports of shea nuts, of which the country is the second largest exporter in the world, to favor local processing, according to a government statement published Friday. Burkina Faso is governed by a military junta that took power in September 2022 by a coup d'état and which has made national sovereignty one of its priorities, particularly on the economic level. The Burkinabe government has decided to "suspend the export of shea nuts throughout the national territory until further notice", a decision that took effect Wednesday, wrote in a joint statement the Ministers of Commerce Serge Poda and of Economy, Aboubacar Nacanabo. "The aim of this suspension is to make available the shea nuts used as raw material by industrial processing units at the national level to align with the government's dynamics aimed at supporting the development of our national industries", they justified. On Wednesday, the government also decided to ...