With its tropical climate, Mali is today a country where many farmers have turned to the orange production sector.
Cultivated not only on large farms near Bamako but also in the regions of Sikasso, Ségou and Koulikoro. Yet this supposedly prolific sector for producers faces enormous obstacles. It is a problem of transport and processing.
Indeed, in many localities in the regions of Sikasso, Ségou, and Koulikoro, it is a real obstacle course to bring oranges to the cities. During the agricultural fairs, orange producers have not stopped claiming every year, the lack of road infrastructure to the authorities.
In an ironic tone, at the 2018 fair, a farmer from Sikasso even declared that he had never managed to transport 1/4 of his oranges to the city. “My oranges rot every year in my field,” he said indignantly. This sector also suffers from a serious lack of processing. According to the ANSA (National Food Safety Agency) register, 80% of orange juice is imported.
Yet every year, Malian traders invest hundreds of millions of CFA francs in Moroccan and Ivorian oranges.
