Burkina Faso has suspended all fresh tomato exports nationwide with immediate effect, as the military-led government moves to safeguard domestic processing units from supply shortages.
Burkina Faso has suspended all fresh tomato exports nationwide, according to a joint communiqué dated March 16, 2026, signed by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Artisanat, Serge Gnaniodem Poda, and the Minister of State for Agriculture, Water, Animal and Fisheries Resources, Commandant Ismaël Sombie.
The directive applies across the entire national territory “until further notice” and covers all economic operators involved in fresh tomato exportation.
“The exportation of fresh tomatoes is suspended across the entire national territory until further notice,” the communiqué reads, citing the need to ensure adequate supply to national processing units.
The issuance of Special Export Authorisations (ASE) has also been suspended with immediate effect. Operators who already hold valid export authorisations have a two-week window from the date of the communiqué to complete any pending export procedures. After this deadline, all existing authorisations will be considered null and void.
The government warned that any violation of the directive will attract sanctions in accordance with existing regulations. Seized goods will be handed over, free of charge, to industrial tomato processing units established under the country’s popular shareholding framework.
Burkina Faso has been actively developing its agro-processing sector in recent years to reduce dependence on raw commodity exports—a policy that has intensified under the transitional military administration led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
The ban is expected to have ripple effects on cross-border tomato trade in the sub-region, including in Ghana, which shares economic and agricultural links with Burkina Faso. Northern Ghana, in particular, relies on cross-border produce flows, and tightening supply from Burkina Faso could affect local market prices.
The government called on all actors in the tomato value chain, as well as border control and security forces, to ensure full compliance with the directive.
