“More than 300 million FCFA worth of potatoes destroyed”: a devastating blow for producers in the Niayes region

Gathered at a press conference this Monday, June 29 in Cayar, members of GIE Agricom, an organization bringing together farmers from the Niayes area, denounced the significant losses suffered after storing their potato production in the cold storage facilities of the company Agro Expédition Sénégal, based in Diamniadio.

Speaking to the press, the president of the GIE (Economic Interest Group), Serigne Béye, explained that the storage decision was made after an agricultural season marked by high production and difficulties in selling the goods on the market. According to him, in order to avoid a price drop and to preserve their production while awaiting greater market stability, the producers chose to rent two cold storage units from Agro Expédition Sénégal.

"We approached this company through a lady named Oulimata who drew up a contract for us on behalf of Mrs. Binette, the owner of the company who lives in Holland," he explained.

To finance the operation, the GIE claims to have taken out bank loans. A cold storage facility with a capacity of 500 tonnes was rented for 10 million FCFA per month, while a second one, capable of holding 650 tonnes, cost 14.5 million FCFA per month.

After months of storage, the contract was due to end on June 25, 2026. However, Serigne Béye claims he decided to retrieve the produce as early as June 20 in order to deliver it to retailers. "I had mobilized eight trucks to load the potatoes. To our great surprise, when we opened the cold storage room, we found that the entire stock was destroyed. There was water everywhere," he stated.

The head of the GIE says he immediately alerted the infrastructure managers. According to his account, the manager initially assured him that the facilities were functioning normally before a check revealed a failure in the cooling system.

In response to the situation, a bailiff was dispatched to assess the damage. According to Serigne Béye, during the assessment, the bailiff requested to see the temperature readings from the cold storage rooms. However, the manager present at the scene indicated that the system was remotely controlled from the Netherlands and that the monitoring data was also stored there.

The president of the Agricom Economic Interest Group (GIE) believes that the entire stock stored in the cold storage facilities is now unusable. "We have lost all the potatoes we had stored. The damage exceeds 300 million FCFA," he asserted, denouncing what he calls "negligence" on the part of the company.

The producers, deeply angered, announced their intention to take legal action to obtain redress. Members of the Agricom Economic Interest Group (GIE) also called for the intervention of the authorities, particularly the Minister of Industry and Trade, to ensure that the matter is fully investigated.

“We will take legal action to seek redress. We will not let this matter go unaddressed. We are calling on Minister Serigne Guèye Diop, because the future of farmers is at stake,” concluded Serigne Béye.

The company Agro Expédition Sénégal had not yet responded to these accusations at the time of the producers' statement.