New Network on Agriculture Inputs Market Information in West Africa

A new website that covers news related to the agricultural market in Western African countries called African Agriculture Market Information Network (www.afamin.net) was recently released to provide information on inputs (i.e. fertilizers, pesticides, seeds) markets in West Africa.

The network was born as a follow-up to an international workshop held in 1999 in Addis Ababa on supply systems. The participants of the workshop had recommended that The International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) lead the development of the network. AFAMIN replaces the African Fertilizer Trade and Market Information Network (AFTMIN) formerly coordinated by IFDC.

The network's main objectives are to provide reliable and up-to-date market and trade information in the agricultural sub-sector to farmers, traders, policy makers, agricultural input suppliers, financial institutions and donors. Making this and other important information accessible to stakeholders enables them to make informed decisions regarding agriculture and the food chain.

It provides information regarding local and world prices, local tenders, market trends, productions, stock levels, and movements of agricultural inputs of the markets. The local information focuses on the following western African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.