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Can Pineapples Thrive in Africa’s Sahel? A Burkina Faso Farmer Says Yes
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia /Economy & Trade

Can Pineapples Thrive in Africa’s Sahel? A Burkina Faso Farmer Says Yes

From Asharq Al-Awsat · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Farmer Oumarou Compaoré has expanded a pineapple farm near Bobo-Dioulasso to about 50 hectares in an effort to produce a crop long associated with wealthier coastal countries.
  • Burkina Faso’s government has incorporated pineapples into its development plans as part of a broader drive for food self-sufficiency and reduced import dependence.
  • The initiative faces wider food-security challenges, including conflict-related disruption, displacement and widespread hunger.

On sandy, stony ground outside Bobo-Dioulasso, Oumarou Compaoré is growing a fruit many people in Burkina Faso once thought belonged to richer coastal neighbors. His pineapple farm now covers about 50 hectares, challenging the belief that the country’s dry Sahelian climate can support little beyond cotton, maize and sorghum.

“People told us that here we could only grow cotton, maize or sorghum,” Compaoré said. He founded the farm in 2018 and drives around in a van labeled “Pioneer in pineapple production in the Sahel.” His move into pineapples was partly inspired by border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, when imported fruit became scarce and locally grown supplies sold easily.

Compaoré had also grown papayas, but with little profit. Pineapples proved more promising. Farmers say production is spreading, while Kola Jean, an agricultural engineer at the farm who trains other growers, estimates that more than 100 farmers have now entered the sector. By November, pineapple fields had reached about 100 hectares in the administrative region that includes the farm, according to regional agriculture director Adanabou Eric Pascal.

People told us that here we could only grow cotton, maize or sorghum.

— Oumarou CompaoréThe farmer described the skepticism he faced when he began growing pineapples in Burkina Faso.

The country’s military leaders have taken notice. Under Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in a 2022 coup, food production has been framed as an issue of national sovereignty. The government suspended rice imports in April and opened two tomato-paste factories in 2024. A supermarket in Ouagadougou also promotes locally produced goods under the slogan “Let’s consume what we produce.”

Those efforts seek to reduce exposure to transport costs and import-price shocks, but they unfold amid severe constraints. A decade-long security crisis has disrupted access to farmland and markets, displaced many people and left extremists controlling large areas. UN agencies say about 2.7 million people face acute food insecurity. Pineapple farming offers an unusual sign of agricultural possibility, but it is developing within a much broader struggle to feed Burkina Faso’s population of 24 million.

Because the fruit was in short supply, we were able to sell it easily.

— Oumarou CompaoréHe explained why pineapple production became attractive during supply disruptions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
About this summary

Originally published by Asharq Al-Awsat in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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