Belgeo (Dec 2023)
Répercussions des politiques publiques de soutien à la pêche artisanale au Sénégal : impacts sur l’équilibre offre-demande et la dynamique des prix du poisson
Abstract
The objective of the article is to reflect on the tensions between the internal and external market for fishery products in Senegal and on the relevance of public policies to support artisanal fishing in a context of a fall in the apparent availability and a surge in fish stocks selling price per kilogram for all species. By analyzing national data on production, local supply, foreign trade, and the evolution of the price structure, the article raises the difficulty of accessing quality fish in the face of extroverted production and prices inadequate with the purchasing power of Senegalese. Globally, the production of fishery products has experienced an upward trend in recent years, going from 385 thousand tons in 2008 to more than 450 thousand tons in 2018. Paradoxically, per capita consumption is on a downward trend and is currently evaluated at less of 18 kg/person/year and as a corollary a reduced contribution of fish to meeting the protein needs of animal origin of Senegalese. For a country with a trade surplus of more than 100 thousand tons in 2018, this is to say at least a paradox. Thus, the production of fishery products benefits exports more than supplies to the domestic market. This situation makes utopic the contribution of fishing to the food security of Senegalese yet advanced in the strategic documents of public fisheries policies. The pressures on resources and prices will escalate further if nothing is done about the rising export curve and the falling net supply curve. The establishment of a policy of domestication of production, revision of support policies for artisanal fishing and the objective of the artisanal sector, in addition to regulation of selling prices per kilogram depending on the species are essential to reach at least the world average consumption of 20 kg/person/year and make fishing a determining sector for the nutritional security of Senegalese.
