Sub-Saharan Africa has overtaken North Africa as the largest African destination for French agricultural exports in 2025, marking a major shift in France’s agricultural trade patterns across the continent.
According to a report from the French Ministry of Agriculture and FranceAgriMer, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa imported €2.2 billion ($2.5 billion) worth of French agricultural and agri-food products in 2025. This surpassed North Africa’s imports of €1.9 billion, which declined by 13% compared with the previous year.
This was only the second time since 2009 that Sub-Saharan Africa ranked ahead of North Africa as France’s leading agricultural market in Africa.
The decline in North African imports was largely driven by a sharp drop in trade with Algeria. French exporters recorded no soft wheat sales to Algeria in 2025, compared with average annual shipments of around 2 million tonnes between 2020 and 2024.
The fall in wheat exports came amid strained relations between France and Algeria, as well as Algeria’s increasing reliance on Black Sea suppliers, particularly Russia. French dairy exports were also affected, with skimmed milk powder shipments to Algeria nearly disappearing in 2025.
Overall, Algeria imported €215 million worth of French agricultural products in 2025, representing a 12% decline from the previous year.
Meanwhile, Morocco continued to strengthen its agricultural trade relationship with France. French agricultural exports to Morocco reached €1.2 billion in 2025, an increase of 8% compared with 2024.
Drought conditions in Morocco contributed to higher demand for imported agricultural commodities. French wheat exports increased by around 27%, while barley shipments also grew significantly during the year. Morocco maintained its position as France’s leading agricultural partner in North Africa.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Côte d’Ivoire remained the largest destination for French agricultural exports. The West African country increased its purchases by 13% to €509 million in 2025, accounting for nearly a quarter of the region’s total imports from France.
Côte d’Ivoire imported more than 540,000 tonnes of French cereals worth €153 million during the year. France also remained the country’s leading supplier of milk and dairy products, although competition from New Zealand increased.
Senegal ranked as the second-largest Sub-Saharan African buyer of French agricultural products, while Southern African markets such as South Africa, Mauritius, and Madagascar also contributed to the region’s import growth.
The rise of Sub-Saharan Africa as France’s top African agricultural export market reflects changing trade relationships and growing demand across the continent. With shifting supplier preferences and increasing food demand, African markets are becoming increasingly important for French agricultural exporters.
