The need to protect the internal market

To govern is to anticipate !

It now appears that decision makers in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, WAEMOU who introduced the Common External Customs Tariff, CET in the year 2000, failed to anticipate developments on the world market which were foreseeable. By abolishing virtually all customs duties on imports of powder milk, rice, cooking oil, wheat … they helped the urban population to cheaper food. But in doing so, they crippled the development of their domestic production of milk, rice and cereals – on which they depend to feed their nations.

Today the drawbacks of the CET, which certainly is one of the world’s most liberal, have become obvious. Domestic rice growers and milk producers are incapable of meeting the demand, because they have been discouraged instead of supported. People living in the cities (and the rural population as well) are left to the mercy of the world market. And governments are incapable of coming to grips with the situation.

Excerpts from the African press review on Radio France International by Fédéric Couteau on August 20:

“Higher prices a threat to customers”. This was the warning launched in the press last Monday by Fraternité Matin. The Ivory Coast daily paper writes that the price of bread could go up shortly. “The reason is simple, according to the paper, the rise of wheat prices could reach 60% at this year’s harvest in August.”

And it is not just bread. “The Intelligent” (weekly magazine based in Abidjan) voices its indignation this morning: prices of mass consumer products (rice, soap, milk) are shooting up in a frenzy, and nobody lifts a finger to stop the bleeding” …/…

Mali

Bread loaves will be smaller!

The price frenzy is spreading to all the countries of the sub-region and even beyond. “Wheat prices explode: bread prices take the blow” writes l’Essor of Mali. After long discussions, the various interest groups in the bread sector have adopted an unconventional decision: they will not ask consumers to pay more, but the weight of a bread loaf will be reduced. Thus the traditional 200 gr baguette, will now weigh only 150 and the large 400 gr loaf will be reduced to 300, while the price remains unchanged. It is now up to the government to endorse this decision …

The need to protect home markets

Here we have the “demonstration in absurdum” (a dictum in mathematics, well known to scholars) that our nations and their populations must regain control over their right to food sovereignty. Needless to cry over spilled milk, but instead, it is necessary to urgently put pressure on the commission of the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West Africa) to adjust the CET and to introduce a flexible import tax, which would vary in accordance with world market prices, so as to guarantee their farmers a decent price on their products. ECOWAS countries have everything it takes  to produce all the milk and rice required for their home markets. They also have the means of developing alternatives (based on maize and other cereals) to wheat-based bread and pasta. They only need to give producers the necessary protection, in the same way as  many of the richer countries have been so keen at providing.

Koudougou, Monday 27 August

Maurice Oudet

Director, SEDELAN