Senegal, one of India’s major rice importers, has temporarily halted rice imports for one month to protect its domestic market amidst a growing surplus of stocks. Following this development, India’s Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has suspended the issuance of Registration-Cum-Allocation Certificates (RCAC) for exports of non-basmati rice to Senegal until the restriction is withdrawn by the Senegalese authorities.
In an advisory, APEDA said that as per the press reports, trade feedback and informed by Embassy of India, Senegal in one of the meetings held on 20th November 2025 that Senegal’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce has temporarily suspended the issuance of import declarations for rice (DIPA) for one month.
The measure, announced on Wednesday, Nov. 12, was adopted at a meeting convened by the Market Regulation Agency (ARM) of Senegal. Authorities said the step aims to halt rice imports to help clear unsold local stocks temporarily.
In October, rice producers in the Dagana department in the Senegal River Valley warned that nearly 195,000 tons of paddy and milled rice from the 2025 harvest risked going unsold because of competition from cheaper imports.
Senegal imports approximately 1.65 million mt of milled rice annually to cover about 70% of its domestic demand. Senegal typically maintains a three-month reserve of rice but currently holds a six-month stock, further intensifying market pressure.
India is a major supplier to Senegal, which imported around 2.3 million tonnes (mnt) of rice from January to September 2025. Senegal relies heavily on global markets to meet domestic demand, even though local production has been increasing in recent years.
Traders in Delhi said that the import halt by Senegal has impacted demand, with shipments from India likely to be redirected elsewhere, potentially softening brokens prices further.
While the temporary ban aims to relieve pressure on local stocks and support farmers, analysts say Senegal’s dependence on imports for food security is unlikely to diminish soon. The government is expected to reassess the situation in December before deciding whether to extend, amend, or withdraw the current restriction.