Senegal is going madd about the fruit • FRANCE 24 English

The month’s forest in southern Seneagal, the wild fruit mad grows. Lansana has spotted some kernels hidden in the foliage more than 15 m above ground. When I climb, I can harvest two sacks of mad. The price per sack is set at 14,000 safer franks this year, just over 20. The fixed price works well for us. If there’s a lot of mad, they buy it at the same price. If there’s little, they still buy it at the same price. So that’s an advantage for us who harvest it. Thanks to the protected geographical indication, mad from chasm is now certified as a high quality product. Harvested when ripe with nature friendly practices and processed without artificial dyes or preservatives. Mad is only harvested for 3 months a year and processing remains largely artisal. A challenge for producers. We don’t have large scale systems yet, so we make do with a few freezes in the processing units. When you work manually, you can’t produce in volume. It’s small quantities that don’t allow you to operate all year round. One of the biggest challenges is to industrialize the process to set up systems to preserve semi-processed products like mad nuts, for example. Less than 5% of the available raw material is processed each year. Marama helped implement and guide the PGI certification process formad from Kazamos. There was a need to strengthen processing capacities with equipment, quality packaging and financial means to secure a supply of raw materials. On the marketing side, these stakeholders need access to more profitable markets to improve incomes of all involved. According to actors in the industry, the mad sector generates an average of 500 million safer franks each

In Senegal, the madd fruit—also called Saba senegalensis—is a seasonal favourite, prized for its tangy-sweet flavour and health benefits. From Dakar’s markets to Casamance villages, madd supports local farmers and traders, providing an important economic boost during the rainy season.
#senegal #madd #fruit

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32 comments

  3. Africa is so full of opportunities lol how's no one taking advantage of this? there's literally opportunities everywhere!

  10. We have a lot of madd in bushes of northern Uganda and South Sudan. They are not taken seriously and only children who go herding shepherds would return with it in the evening. They are so cheap if sold. I wish I could share with Senegal how they go about it so I could harvest some, they are not as much as in Senegal though.

  15. Cant you not buy cheaper simple outdated industrial machines to do the work? Create a communical production and you should have enough financial recources.

  18. In Ghana, we called it urah(ɔraa)…
    It's bit sour when not fully ripe…. sweet when fully ripe…very sweet when you add small wood ash to the juice….
    Very common in Ghana especially in Eastern region (afram plains) Bono and the Northern part Ghana…
    Sometimes we used to dodge school to go and harvest them….

  20. Very common sour fruit in Coastal Kenya and Tanzania/Zanzibar. Locally known as Mabungo in Swahili.

    We used to eat it with chillies and salt as children walking home from school.

    Mamy uses for it, juices, salsa, chutneys, achar.

  22. Now I will put the name from Mali lol: Zaban !!!! I have it in my home!!!! My fav fruits.

    Apparently it’s everywhere in Africa

  27. As a proud Senegalese, I want to say this clearly and respectfully.

    What Senegal is doing with the traditional food we call mud is something beautiful, and it should be celebrated not attacked.

    Some people are making noise, saying Senegal stole it from another country, or that this food belongs to someone else. But let’s speak the truth. we are all Africans. These traditional foods whether we call them mud, thiakry, jollof, or anything else have existed across our regions for centuries. They belong to our shared African heritage, not to one flag or border.

    Allah has blessed all of us with rich soil, amazing traditions, and powerful cultures. Senegal didn’t steal anything we are simply developing what our ancestors gave us, just like others do in their countries.

    It’s time we stop tearing each other down and start lifting each other up. When one African country succeeds, it should make all of us proud. That’s how we grow as a continent.

    Yes, I am Senegalese. Yes, I support my people. But I also believe in African unity, respect, and truth.

    Instead of division, let’s celebrate each other’s progress and share knowledge not hate. 🇸🇳❤️🇸🇳❤️🇸🇳

  29. In Nigeria 🇳🇬 this fruit is called Chiyo in the Hausa language, and Utu in the Igbo language. It’s a sour tasting kind of fruit, but sweet at the same time especially when fully ripened.

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