Will rice disappear from Burkina Faso ? 

A rare and expensive commodity – this is the appearance of rice at the local market at present. The causes of this phenomenon are more or less known. In spite of the recent government suspension of customs duties, times of uncertainty loom at the horizon for burkinabè consumers.

Will this mean that eating “malo” (rice in the dioula language) will become a luxury for the average citizen? There is really a point in asking that question. On the world market the largest rice producing countries have limited their exports, in order to first meet strong domestic demand. Imports are now subject to  rising fees and duties, which obviously drive up the price. This has offset the effects of the suspended customs duties on rice, which initially  saw the price of a 50 kg bag drop to around 13 000 CFA francs.

“Today wholesalers do not have enough rice and they say that there are difficulties on the supply side”  assures Moussa Bebamba of “Etablissements Silga et Frères”, a shop situated on the Avenue Babanguida in Ouagadougou.  “This problem is really worrying us” he adds.  According to him, buying rice becomes a virtual calvary - either there is not enough supply for all the tradesmen, or there is no rice at all to be had. When we inquired about the price this morning of April 9th, Moussa did not want to give the slightest hint.

His colleague gives him a  helping hand: “Come back tonight. We are waiting for an order and it is possible that there are changes”. We keep insisting to get the details.  When Moussa Bebamba finally decides to speak, he says that some rice varieties have disappeared. In his shop they have the “Super Elephant” which costs 15 000 CFA francs per 50 kg bag and Chinese rice at 13 500  CFA francs. Broken rice sells at 14 750 francs/50 kg. The Silga shop has decided also to sell Bagré rice, which costs 7 500 francs /25 kg. As we were standing there, a client  came up wanting to buy Bagré rice. Not far from there, at the grocery store La Source, the strategy is quite different. “We have decided only to sell broken rice” Mahamoudou Saré explains. “But since the supply is scarce, we only sell by the kilo.”

La Source also sells fragrant rice in 5 kg bags at 2 700 francs. Mahamoudou Saré admits that it is difficult to obtain rice on the market. He has been at his business for years, but he never experienced  a similar situation before. This is also the case with Mr Kaboré who has a small shop situated at Secteur 30. This is the first time that he has been unable to provide his customers with rice. “I like to buy a few bags every so often and then sell by the kilo. But at present, when one runs out, it is difficult to restock” he complains. To him it is important to keep customers informed, because “we never know what tomorrow will bring”.

For the time being there are still a few openings for customers in Burkina. But which way will the winds blow in one or two months, if the situation does not brighten up at the international level?

Dayang-ne-wendé

“LE PAYS” daily paper

April 16th 2008