Foreign trade of agricultural products and inputs in Senegal from 1975 to 1984

In practice it is not easy to define the concept of "agricultural product" in precise terms. We have decided to limit our attention to food products, including those from the fishing sector. We have also included other agricultural products used for industrial purposes if they are used in the same state in which they leave the farm or if they have undergone only a minor degree of processing. Livestock products are also included in the analysis, even though the official statistics greatly underestimate the volume of the foreign trade of livestock products and are therefore limited in their usefulness. The categories of products and inputs presented here are based on the system of classification used in the Customs Code. The primary data analyzed come from detailed computer statistics of imports and exports jointly published by the Statistics Directorate and the Customs Directorate. The figures from 1983 and 1984 are tentative and subject to revision. In succession, this paper focuses on: (1) the volume of the foreign trade of agricultural products and inputs in the Senegalese economy; (2) the evolution of the foreign trade of agricultural products and inputs; (3) the principal products traded; and (4) Senegal"s chief trading partners. (Author abstract)