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Based on over forty interviews with wholesalers on five rural markets, this article examines the origin and the distribution of market power in the eastern province of Gnagna, in Burkina Faso, whose food supply has been unstable. Market power is analyzed through the structure of exchanges, social organization, and sales strategies and methods. Market power appears to be structurally unfavorable to grain farmers due to the seasonality of crops and prices, whereas the competition among merchants has less to do with prices than with the size of the collection network to increase the volume handled. Moreover, forms of solidarity among merchants are not rare (logistical or financial assistance). As for sales strategies, they bear on price differential (buying and selling), quality, and measurement units.