Mango drying systems in Senegal
What the crop demands, what the country imposes, and what that means for capacity.
Senegalese mango is the regional outlier and the outlier is the whole opportunity. Casamance and the Niayes produce from June through September, when Burkina, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire have all finished. Dakar is also the closest West African port to Europe, with direct air freight that no landlocked producer can match.
The situation in Senegal
The closest West African coast to Europe, with Dakar four days’ sailing from Algeciras and a direct air-freight route that other producers in the region do not have. Its agricultural calendar is also the odd one out: the rains arrive late and the mango season runs through the northern summer, when Sahelian supply has finished. That timing is worth more than any processing efficiency.
Growing regions. the Niayes coastal strip, Casamance in the south, Saint-Louis and the river valley
What mango drying demands
Mango is the crop that makes the case for controlled drying on its own. It arrives in a six-week wall of fruit, prices collapse exactly when volume peaks, and a large share of the crop is never picked up at all. Dried at 65–70 °C to 12–14 % moisture it becomes a twelve-month product with an export market that already exists.
Harvest calendar
June to September, running through the northern summer. Every other producer in the region is done by July.
The working campaign window as the trade runs it. It shifts a fortnight either way with the rains.
Process parameters
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Drying temperature | 65–70 °C |
| Final moisture | 12–14 % |
| Yield (fresh : dried) | 10 : 1 |
| Cycle time | 16–20 h |
Sizing starting points from ordinary processing practice, not a validated recipe for your product. Confirm against your own intake and your buyer’s specification.
Worked sizing example
For a unit taking 4 tonnes of fresh product a day, at a yield of 10 : 1:
Illustrative figures calculated from the yield and campaign window above. They size a conversation; they do not describe any existing installation.
Fuel available in Senegal
The groundnut basin supplies a large volume of very light groundnut shell: briquetting is not optional but a precondition. Rice husk in the river valley.
- Base load. Groundnut shell · Rice husk · Cashew shell
- Supplement. Cotton stalk · Corn cob · Sawdust
See all 27 fuels and their properties
Market and buyer requirements
Europe, both fresh and dried, with a timing advantage that is worth more than any processing efficiency. Air freight from Dakar makes premium dried grades genuinely viable.
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The systems that hold this profile
Other crops in Senegal
Fish · Groundnut · Onion · Hibiscus · Raw cashew nut
Mango drying elsewhere
🇧🇫 Burkina Faso · 🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire · 🇲🇱 Mali · 🇬🇭 Ghana · 🇬🇳 Guinea
Frequently asked questions
Why is Senegalese mango timing so valuable?
Because it is counter-seasonal to the rest of the region. Casamance and the Niayes produce June to September, when Burkina, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire have finished — the same 10 : 1 conversion meets a market with almost no regional competition.
Does Dakar’s location matter for dried product?
Yes. Dakar is the closest West African port to Europe at roughly 4 days’ sailing, with direct air freight as well. That makes premium air-freighted dried grades realistic from Senegal in a way they are not from Ouagadougou or Bamako, both of which sit over 1,000 km from any quay.
Does the rainy timing complicate drying?
It does. June to September is the Senegalese wet season, so incoming air carries more moisture and the chamber works harder across each 16 to 20 hour cycle. That is an argument for controlled drying rather than against it — sun-drying in that window is not an option at all.
Size a unit in Senegal
Tell us your daily fresh volume and target output, and we will size the chambers, the burner and the fuel available around your site.
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