CEREALS PROTECTION AND AGRICULTURAL-DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY IN THE SAHEL

The stagnation of Sahelian agriculture under seemingly unchangeable exchange rates has led to calls for supporting growth and food security through protection of cereals. It is argued that this will harm both objectives by ignoring the true comparative advantage of large parts of the region in livestock and other exports to the coast. High cereals prices in the Sahel raise costs of production in all of agriculture to uncompetitive levels. Protectionist policies for improving cereal self-sufficiency in Sahel and non-African dumping of livestock products on the coast hinder sustainable agricultural development in the interior.