Alleviating fertilizer supply constraints in West Africa

Most fertilizers consumed in West Africa are imported. The ability of sub-Saharan Africa to produce fertilizer to supply the increasing demands for the region has declined over the years. The ratio between production and apparent demand fell from 0.38 in 1970/71 to 0.23 in 1987/88. To alleviate fertilizer supply constraints and reduce costs, the following measures are recommended to governments, donor agencies and research institutions: — development of low cost technology for the domestic production of phosphate fertilizers. — conduct of agronomic research leading to recommendations of fertilizer quantities and suitable management practices for efficient use of fertilizers. — conduct of agronomic research to promote the application of more standard but cheaper compounds as opposed to such specialized products as 14–23–14 + 5S + 1B. — exploration of the feasibility of bulk importation and local bagging of fertilizers commonly used in West Africa. — development of bulk-blending techniques to provide specialized compounds upon request. — introduction of more competitive forms of distribution and marketing.