Soybeans and paddy rice are two agricultural products for which the Beninese government is imposing new export taxes. At the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, 20 July 2022, the fees on these two products were established on the basis of the decision approved by Decree No. 2022-419 of 20 July 2022 fixing new export fees for soybeans and paddy rice, in support of prices agricultural inputs.

President Patrice Talon, Minister of Economy and Finance, Romuald Wadagni, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Shadiya Alimatou Assouman, and Gaston Dosoui, Minister of Agriculture, livestock and fisheries signed Decree No. 2022-419 of 20 July 2022 fixing new export fees for soybeans and paddy rice, in support of agricultural input prices. Indeed, article 1 of the decree indicates that these fees are collected at the customs office and paid into the public treasury.

Article 2 notes that fees to support agricultural input prices are levied on agricultural products according to a scale regardless of the export route. Thus, paddy rice exporters will have to pay fifty (50) FCFA per kilogram of paddy rice exported from soybeans and those grains will now pay an additional fee of one hundred (100) FCFA per kilogram. Therefore, the Government warns: “Fraud under the provisions of this decree will be sanctioned in accordance with the regulations in force.”