Agricultural Input & Output Market Reforms in African Countries

Many African countries have initiated programs to reform their agricultural marketing systems. Years after their inception, however, the progress accomplished by reform programs has been in many cases much less than expected. The private sector is very slow in filling the gap created by the dismantling or down-scaling of public marketing parastatals. This has left marketing systems in many reforming countries in a transitory situation characterized by paralyzed parastatals and a constrained private sector, with all the negative consequences for the operations of local markets. Against this background, the present project aimed:

• to raise the understanding of the conditions for the successful reform of agricultural input and output markets in African countries; and
• to identify strategies to complete the transition to competitive and efficient output distribution and input delivery systems.

For further information please contact: Markets and Structural Studies Division, IFPRI, 2033 K Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20006, U.S.A.