Rapports Commerciales du Cercle de Ségou (1914-1919) 1 Q 83 fonds anciens
	© 1999 by Jim Jones, Ph.D.

There are no commercial reports for 1914.

There were 5 Syrian merchants in Ségou and they gave the European merchants a lot of comeptition.

European merchants had sufficient provisions of cloth and salt for the trading season.

European merchants continued to receive merchandise, although a few went directly to Kayes because European goods were running short in Bamako.

The Usine d'égrenage de la Association Cotonnière didn't buy any cotton because they were still processing last year's cotton from Koutiala. The Syrian merchants in Ségou were successful enough to report 150,000 francs worth of trade. Somonos and their wives were especially active in the major markets of the Cercle de Ségou.

These European merchants operated in Ségou: Maurel et Prom, Maurer, Société Commerciale, Delmas, Deves et Chaumet, Société Niger-Fran‡ais, Tourneux, Caron and Taxil. Syrian merchants included Watchi, Reibetz and Jabre.

Everyone was short of European goods, but all traded grains. Somonos served as middlemen in all transactions and were present in all markets within the Cercle de Ségou.

The peste bovin (cattle disease, probably "rinderpest") slowed animal exports. The cattle trade shifted to the Gold Coast, away from Bamako and Cote d'Ivoire.

Somonos and Markas controlled all African trade, operating as far as Kankan (Upper Niger Valley, Guinea) and Timbuktu. They handled tobacco, dried fish and for the Guinea market, locally manufactured cotton cloth in strips.

Salt imports totaled 250 tons. Exports included 420 tons of millet, 200 tons of karité and 10 tons of skins. There were no European goods anywhere in the cercle.

Two new European merchants arrived in Ségou. CFAO located their comptoir between the market and the river, and the Société Niger-Fran‡ais moved to Sansanding with a comptoir operated by Racine Mademba Sy, the son of the French-appointed Fama Mademba.