2023-06-26 22:21:58
In Montpellier, in the south of France, the world conference on sorghum, the 5th most cultivated cereal in the world, was held at the beginning of June. The African continent alone accounts for half of the 60 million tonnes harvested each year. Thanks to its ability to resist drought, sorghum allows millions of inhabitants of the Sahelian zone to survive. And in recent years, its production has been increasing there. This is the observation made by experts in the sector, from producers to seed companies and geneticists.
At Inran, Niger’s National Institute for Agronomic Research, sorghum, the country’s second cereal following millet, is the focus of all attention. ” Production increases, says agronomist Mustapha Moussa. Twenty years ago, it was 500,000 tons, today we exceed 2 million tons per year. It is a crop that is resilient to climate change and we have a lot of land where we can produce. »
At the same time, consumption is increasing, in the countryside, but also among city dwellers. ” I consume a lot of sorghum, abounds Illiassou Mossi Maiga, the director of Inran. Boiled, we mix it until it hardens, and it constitutes a more or less soft paste that we eat with sauce. And I like that. »
The situation is identical in most African countries, even if the reasons for this enthusiasm are still difficult to pinpoint. “ Production is increasing in many countries in Africa such as Sudan, Senegal, countries that have a history with sorghum such as Zimbabweunderlines the American expert Timothy Dalton. Is it a consequence of climate change or for economic reasons because the seeds are more accessible than others? I don’t have the answer yet. And over the last decade or so, I’ve really noticed that consumers in urban areas have become very proud of their traditional seeds. »
Sorghum flour increasingly used
This is the case in Senegal where the government allowed the composition of bread to be changed. ” Use sorghum flour in bread making, we know how to incorporate it up to 15%, explains Cheikh N’Diaye, from the Institute of Food Technology in Dakar. It is recognized and it has been transferred to many countries. Now, we are going up to 65% incorporation. It will be a revolution and it can really reduce the cost of importing wheat. »
It now remains to continue the development of sorghum cultivation in Africa because most countries on the continent have to import it, especially from Ukraine and Russia.
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