FAO/GIEWS: Africa Report No.3 - December 2002 p.24
| Area: | 2 200 sq km |
| Climate: | Tropical wet-dry; one hot rainy season with cyclone probability; June-October dry and cool |
| Population: | 0.815 million (2002 estimate); G.N.P. per caput: US$380 (2001) |
| Specific characteristics of the country: | Low-income food-deficit country; archipelago of four small islands |
| Logistics: | - |
| Major foodcrops: | Rice, roots, tubers, bananas and coconuts |
| Marketing year: | January/December |
| Share of cereals in total calorie intake: | 44 percent |
Most of the country's agricultural land is planted to cash crops, bananas and root crops. Only one-quarter of the cereal requirement is produced locally and, consequently, there is a structural deficit of some 46 000 tonnes of cereals, fully covered by commercial imports.
| Wheat | Rice | Coarse grains | Total | |
| Previous five years average production | - | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Previous five years average imports | 6 | 40 | 1 | 47 |
| 2002 Domestic Availability | - | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 2001 Production (rice in paddy terms) | - | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| 2001 Production (rice in milled terms) | - | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Possible stock drawdown | - | - | 1 | 1 |
| 2002 Utilization | 6 | 42 | 5 | 53 |
| Food use | 6 | 42 | 3 | 51 |
| of which: local purchase requirement | - | - | - | - |
| Non-food use | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Exports or re-exports | - | - | - | - |
| Possible stock build up | - | - | - | - |
| 2002 Import Requirement | 6 | 40 | - | 46 |
| Anticipated commercial imports | 6 | 40 | - | 46 |
| Food aid needs | - | - | - | - |
| Current Aid Position | ||||
| Food aid pledges | - | - | - | - |
| of which: delivered | - | - | - | - |
| Donor-financed purchases | - | - | - | - |
| of which: for local use | - | - | - | - |
| for export | - | - | - | - |
| Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/year) | 7 | 50 | 4 | 60 |
| Indexes | ||||
| 2001 Production as % of average: | 100 | |||
| 2002 Import requirement as % of average: | 98 |