Advertising and food sovereignty

On the 3rd of December, 10 days before the WTO ministerial conference in Hong Kong, the National Federation of Farmers’ Unions of Burkina Faso (La Confédération Paysanne du Faso) adopted its formal opinion and made its voice heard. It demanded  “the right and means of access to the media for the promotion of our farm products. We want to have the same amount of air time, free of charge, to advertise local food from our agriculture, as is now available to commercial publicity spots for imported products, such as Nido milk and Maggi cubes.”

 It seems to me that this demand has not yet been given the attention it deserves.

 1) Why was this demand put forward?

 Simply because both on the national TV channel and on advertising display screens in African towns, and in Ouagadougou in particular, the only products advertised are the imported ones. Local products are not seen at all. Burkina national television (TNB) is a case in point. It is a state owned company. It purports to be a “public service” company. But it only broadcasts ads for imported products, often manufactured and sold by multinationals. 

As for example the NIDO milk from Nestlé.

 In Dakar, Cotonou or even Bamako, how many advertising boards featuring dairy products (sometimes giant ones!) are not seen all around?

 But here again it is all imported goods, or products made from imported milk powder, as in the case of yoghurt.

 How can one expect young city folk, grown up in an urban environment, to take an interest in products made in their own country? They want to be trendy, in tune with their time. They want to eat what is shown on TV or on posters and ads around town. They are being led to believe, without giving it a second thought, that foreign is better.

 I am reminded of a young member of the public, who got up in the discussion after seeing the film “Africa in Danger” to say (just as if to declare “I am no fool”):”When I enter a store and find two brands of jam, one from Burkina and another one from Europe, I take the one from Europe”.

 2) What are the alternatives?

 ·        The first is the one suggested by the National Federation of Farmers Unions – that the national TV channel really lives up to its role as a public service. Given that the farmers of Burkina do not have the same financial clout as the multinationals which invade the TV screens, the Government ought to enable farmers’ organisations and small food processing undertakings to advertise their products. They could also ask the Mayor of Ouagadougou (as well as mayors of other towns) for public poster space for these products.

·        The second alternative would be to introduce brand labels and set up associations of producers and small firms. For example Burkina’s producers of bananas and onions could create a quality label for these two products and thus share   advertising expenses. In this way the much favoured Burkina onions would no longer, as is often the case at present, be mixed with those produced in Niger, in general less  appreciated by consumers.

 3) The Dairy Federation “Kosam Wuro Men”

  This federation does not yet exist! For the time being it is merely a project that should materialise in the coming months or years. Kosam Wuro Men means “milk from here” in the fulfulde language. The idea is to set up mini-dairies around the urban centres with a vocation to process local milk only. The dairies would agree on a set of specific duties regarding the training of staff, quality of products, hygiene and price. This would pave the way for economies of scale, reducing costs for packaging and advertising campaigns.

Maurice Oudet
5 June 2006