SORGHUM AND MILLET

West Africa 2010 CAADP Program Design and Implementation Workshop

Value Chain Working Group

END MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

MARKET OVERVIEW
Global production and consumption:
o Sorghum: Globally, approximately 500 million people consume sorghum. Nigeria is the
worlds largest producer, with annual production of 11.7 million MT of grain sorghum,
accounting for 18.5 percent of global production. The next most important producers are
the US (with 8.9 million MT), India and Mexico. These same countries are also the worlds
fourth largest consumers of sorghum, with Nigeria again first at 11.5 million MT, followed by
Mexico, India and the US. Globally, sorghum is increasingly being used for ethanol, although
it is also the third most important grain traded for livestock feed (after maize and barley),
including for the poultry industry.
o Millet: Approximately 36 million MT of millet are produced annually. India and China are the
worlds largest producers of millet, growing 9.4 million MT and 2.2 million MT respectively
(ICRISAT).
Global trade:
o Sorghum: Approximately 10 percent of sorghum production is exported, with approximately
6 million MT on average traded internationally every year (ERS/USDA). The US is by far the
worlds largest sorghum exporter, usually accounting for over 80 percent of global exports,
which are destined primarily for Mexico and Japan. These are the worlds largest importers,
together accounting for nearly 70 percent of global imports, although the EU has
occasionally imported large volumes when corn prices were high. Argentina and Australia
are the second and third largest world sorghum exporters, with lower but rising volumes.
o Millet: Millet exports are far lower than sorghum exports, totaling approximately 300,000
MT in 2007 (FAOSTAT), with exports led by India at 105,000 MT.
Product characteristics: Sorghum and millet are members of the coarse grains family, together with
maize, barley, oats and rye. There are different varieties of millet, including pearl millet (produced
throughout sub-Saharan Africa), finger millet (common in East, Central and southern Africa), fonio
(cultivated in Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Guinea) and foxtail millet (the major crop in China).
Millet has a short crop cycle that is well adapted to the short rainy season of the Sahel.

WEST AFRICAS MARKET POSITION
Consumption: Sorghum and millet are critical to the regions food security, producing grain for
human consumption and fodder for livestock consumption in the harsh Sahelian environment. Both
grains are commonly processed into flour and consumed in the form of porridge. Millet is consumed
by approximately 130 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, 78 percent as a staple food, with 20
percent destined for fermented drinks and other uses, and only 2 percent as livestock feed.
Consumption patterns vary by agro-ecological zone. In the Sahelian zone, millet is the principal
cereal both in terms of production and in terms of consumption, with the exception of Senegal
(where rice is more important), Mauritania (sorghum and maize) and Cape Verde (maize and rice).
Sorghum is the principal substitute, both for human consumption (as a grain or processed into beer)
and for animal feed. In the Sudanese zone
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, maize and sorghum are the primary crops.
Production and trade: Sorghum and millet are grown primarily by smallholder farmers throughout
the Sahel (Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and the Central African
Republic). Nigeria is the worlds largest sorghum producer. Pearl millet is the most commonly grown
millet type in Africa, accounting for 76 percent of the cultivated area, followed by finger millet (16
percent) and fonio. Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso and Senegal produce 84% of the West Africa
regions millet. In the drier parts of these countries, millet is the dominant (and in some places, the
only) cereal crop.
Imports and regional trade: West African imports (from outside the region) of millet or sorghum are
currently negligible. However, there is an increase in millet coming from India into the region,
notably to Senegal. In the East Basin countries of West Africa (Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Benin),
millet is the most frequently traded cereal.

VALUE CHAIN OPPORTUNITIES/CONSTRAINTS
Inputs: Significant research has been done by ICRISAT on improved varieties that are higher yielding,
more pest and disease resistant, have higher grain and forage quality, and are more drought
tolerant. Early maturing varieties are also highly valued, as are those that are resistant to striga, a
parasitic weed. However, throughout much of the region, the use of improved seed is low. This is
due to traditional systems in countries such as Mali, where millet and sorghum seeds are usually
traded among farmers at the village level on a non-monetary basis (gifts, barter, or exchanged as
part of social customs). Farmers work through a system of social norms rather than formal
commercial channels.
Production: Sorghum and millet are well adapted to the drought-prone Sahelian agro-ecological
system, including agropastoral systems. However, striga infestation is a major constraint to
production, and management of this weed is a key production issue, addressed through improved
varieties, water conservation methods, fertilization and intercropping. Other threats including an
array of pests as well as diseases, lead to significant economic losses for sorghum and millet
producers. The need for improved integrated pest management is high.
Post-harvest and storage systems: Pests and diseases as well as fungal pathogens during storage
contribute to high post-harvest losses. For sorghum, moisture and the temperature of storage
(which is often too high) are two other key factors that lead to post-harvest losses.
Processing: Millet is traditionally dehusked by pounding the moistened grain with a mortar and
pestle. It is then dried, milled (pounded again), winnowed and fermented. Processing millet into
food is done on a small scale at the household level, while processing/brewing for beverages is done
mostly on a communal level, often by women processor groups. Only a small proportion of
processing for beverages (10 percent) is done by breweries.
o Semi-prepared foods: A growing and important area of processing is transforming millet and
sorghum into material for couscous, flour, infant flour formulas and other ready-to-cook,
traditional products like dgu.
o Feed: Although maize is far more commonly used, recent tests have widely shown that
sorghum can also be used as poultry feed. Millet can also be used for livestock feed.
o Malt: Throughout West Africa, malted sorghum and millet are used in the production of
fermented beverages and infant foods. The malting process entails soaking, germinating and
drying the grain. In Burkina Faso, 40% of the sorghum produced is malted for the

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Central Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Cte dIvoire, southern Burkina Faso, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau
and southern Chad
preparation of dolo, an opaque beer common under other names in Mali, Benin, Togo,
Nigeria, Ghana, Niger and Cte dIvoire.
Marketing: Millet is not a highly commercialized crop, which limits incentives for increased
investment in improved technologies. When traded, it is mostly traded informally.
o There is a growing urban, often middle-to-upper class market segment for foodstuffs that
are semi-prepared and that minimize cooking time and effort. This is the same segment
that wants better quality imported rice (and is the fastest growing segment for rice
importers), but they want a variety in what they eat. This segment is found in urban centers
in the Sahel and coastal countries.

GENDER, NUTRITION AND THE VERY POOR
Women do most of the millet harvesting, threshing, and processing of food. Processing into malted
beverages is an important income generating activity for many West African women.
Millet and sorghum are the main staples of the majority of the food insecure populations of the
Sahel and account for up to 75 percent of their total caloric intake. As such, these crops are critical
to the regions food security. Millet is a highly nutritious cereal, with high levels of vital amino acids
as well as pro-vitamin A (yellow pearl millets) and micronutrients (finger millet especially).