• A project led by SN Citec
• An alternative to lack of cotton seeds
• The selling price will be decisive
«D‘by the end of May, the factory will shut down for lack of raw materials’. This forecast comes from the sales manager, representing the company SN Citec in Ouagadougou, Yacouba Warma. He affirmed it, during his visit to the Café de L’Economiste du Faso, in mid-March 2022. We remember from his interview with the Editorial staff that the oil mill company is facing the consequences of a drastic drop cotton production, whose seeds are the main raw material used in the production of oil.
“SN Citec essentially processes cottonseed which is grown by producers. Today, due to insecurity, many cotton growers have fled the fields for the city. As a result, there is a drastic drop in cotton production which at the same time impacts our activity,” explained Mr. Warma. For example, for this year, SOFITEX has undertaken to supply SN Citec with 40,000 tons of seed cotton and the collection campaign is underway. This represents only 1/3 of SN Citec’s production capacity.
An alternative to this raw material is therefore needed if the plant wants to continue to operate. Hence the idea of prospecting for soybeans.
More than 100,000 tons of soy produced in 2021
According to the sources that L’Economiste du Faso was able to contact, the company is already prospecting suppliers of soybeans, groundnuts and sesame. The soy trail has already borne fruit. It comes back to us that Hadja Maïmouna Velegda of the Velegda Establishments would have been approached for the acquisition of soybeans, in order to extract oil from them. “Things are well advanced and a contract must be signed to materialize this new local collaboration,” adds our source introduced to the agriculture sector.
According to the 2021 agro-silvopastoral statistics directory, soybean production in the national territory has increased in ten years. It increased from 24,347 tonnes in 2012 to 106,675 tonnes in 2021. The area sown to soybeans also increased. It increased from 22,198 hectares in 2012 to 98,204 hectares in 2021. According to statistics, the Center-East region and the Hauts-Bassins region are the first in terms of cultivated area and soybean production in Burkina Faso. Unfortunately, this is a sector that is not yet well organized, which makes it difficult to collect soybeans. “This is why SN Citec approached Hadja Velegda, which not only has the network of producers, but also the logistics for the removal of the product to SN Citec’s oil production center” , adds another source working in the oil sector.
He added that the tests on the oil content of soybeans have been conclusive and soon, soybean oil will be available on the market for consumption by Burkinabè. Note that the SN Citec plant has a processing capacity of 400 tonnes per day. The lack of cottonseed to run the factory has impacted the company’s figures. “As for the turnover of the oil mill, naturally, it will have an impact, we can expect almost 60% less revenue than in previous years,” says Yacouba Warma.
NK
framed
The selling price will be decisive
En December 2022, the FAO Vegetable Oil Price Index gained 2.3%, after seven consecutive months of decline. This increase is due to higher international prices for palm oil and soybean oil, which more than offset the decline in rapeseed oil and sunflower oil prices. Global soybean oil values edged higher, mainly driven by continued and strong demand from the biodiesel industry, particularly in the United States. As you will have understood, refined soybean oil is one of the food products whose prices are monitored by the FAO.
In 2019, the liter produced locally in Burkina Faso was already trading a little more expensive than oil from cottonseeds. With this generalized inflation, the prices of soybeans on the local market, SN Citec will have to juggle, in order to offer a product accessible to the population.
Beyond oil, in Burkina Faso, processed soy gives products whose consumption is growing. In addition to refined oil, milk, tofu, soybean soumbala, flour, kebabs, food for young children, biscuits, bread, cake, etc. can be mentioned. Soy dishes are foods that are not too expensive and accessible to people. The population undoubtedly expects the same thing for the oil that will be produced by the oil company.
Filet
Cultivation of soybeans: the steps for a good yield
UUse improved seeds: the use of certified seeds guarantees at least 45% of the yield.
Choose the plot well: flat, light, well-draining ground; sorghum, millet, maize or cotton.
Soil preparation: it would be interesting to add organic manure and then do a good plowing in ridges or flat.
Do the sowing well: the sowing must be done after a useful rain. The pockets should be 3 to 4 cm deep; put 2 seeds per pocket; re-sowing is done just after emergence, no more than 6 days after sowing; sowing dates should be chosen so that maturity coincides with the cessation of the rains to allow for better drying.
Cultivation interviews: do the first weeding between the 10e and the 15e day after sowing; make a light hilling three weeks after the first weeding; do the weeding if necessary, to accompany the ripening and facilitate the harvest.
Crop protection: use recommended varieties resistant to soybean diseases and nematodes. Regarding insects, the main pests are leaf worms and pod bugs. When their populations become important, use an insecticide: 2.5 liters per hectare.
Harvesting: harvesting takes place at maturity. A mature soybean field is characterized by leaf yellowing and leaf drop. The pods take on a chestnut-brown colour; they make noise when shaken; soybeans must therefore be harvested by hand by cutting the stems at ground level. It is not advisable to uproot the seedlings, as the roots fertilize the soil.
Drying the pods: the cut plants with their pods must be dried on a very clean drying area or on a tarpaulin; the end of drying is marked by a humidity rate of around 14% (the seeds move and sound well inside the pods).
Final steps: threshing must be done (threshing is done in a clean area to facilitate the recovery of seeds), winnowing (winnowing allows the debris to be separated from the seeds), drying of the seeds and storage in bags placed in a ventilated place.
Valorize harvest residues: it is possible to recover soya haulms and other residues which will be used as food for ruminants and as organic manure.
Production of CSIR-Favor soybean variety
Source: Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (Centre-Nord)
