Peanut

Peanuts are one of Chad’s main crops – they make a thick sauce for porridge and the oil used in every kitchen.

The peanut is a low, annual plant of the legume family, with paripinnate leaves of four leaflets and small yellow pea flowers. After pollination the stalk of the ovary lengthens and pushes it into the soil, where a net-veined pod with one to several seeds ripens. The plant comes from South America and has been grown in Africa since the 16th century. The seeds are rich in fat and protein, the stems and leaves are valuable fodder, and root nodules containing bacteria fix nitrogen and improve soil fertility.

Significance in the country

Chad is one of Africa’s larger peanut producers, and growing them is one of the most important sources of income for farmers. Roasted peanuts, peanut butter and oil are everyday ingredients of Chadian cooking.

Where it grows

Grown mainly in the south of the country – in the regions of Mayo-Kebbi, Tandjilé, Logone, Mandoul and Moyen-Chari – and in the regions of Guéra, Ouaddaï, Salamat and Batha.

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