On Thursday March 30, 2023, members of the Fédération des Producteurs d’Huiles et d’Aliments pour Bétails organized a press conference at the Maison de la Presse to put an end to rumors that they had benefited from an exemption from the ‘State. For some time, producers have been accused of setting excessive prices on their products, claiming to have received a tax exemption from the Malian government.
Mr. Sidiki Diabaté, secretary general of the federation, explained from the start that this was false. According to him, they undertook to fix the price of oil and animal feed in specifications, and the State, in return, had to waive its taxes on these products. Although there have been advances in the file, such as the signing of decrees and the making of decisions, no exemption has been granted to the oil and animal feed industry.
Mr. Diabaté added that the file had been filed in August, but that it had dragged on until the expiry of the decree on January 31. For six months, they chased following this exemption, but in vain. The federation was wrongly accused of having benefited from this exemption and of continuing to sell their products at excessive prices, which is not the case.
The Secretary General also revealed that the Minister for Rural Development had been involved and approached the Minister for Finance regarding it, but nothing has been done since. The specifications signed with the government were not respected, which had financial consequences for the producers. The CMDT campaign was not good, and they had to buy seed from outside, which resulted in additional costs at the customs cordon.
In summary, the current situation is inequitable and has an impact on prices in the market. The federation asks for the indulgence of the government so that it can benefit from the promised tax exemption.