Unraveling the effects of import bans on domestic poultry production: a case study of Senegal

Abstract

Senegal banned all imports of uncooked poultry meat in 2006 in response to Avian Influenza outbreaks in many exporting countries. This paper investigates the effects of the import ban on domestic chicken meat production and the performance of Senegal's broiler farms. To do so, we employ various comparative analyses at the farm and macro levels. We use the synthetic control method to estimate the effects on total production, which shows that Senegal’s chicken meat production increased more than it would have without the import ban. This may imply, in line with the infant-industry argument, that the ban has had a positive impact on chicken meat production. In addition, we use a farm-level analysis to evaluate the performance of typical Senegalese broiler farms. The comparison with Ghana shows that Senegalese farms are performing better and have lower costs of production. An opening of the markets should only be implemented gradually, by replacing the ban with tariffs because local industries must have the opportunity to adapt to the competition of the international market step by step.