FAO/GIEWS: Africa Report No.3 - December 2002 p.30
| Area: | 124 320 sq km |
| Climate: | Highland areas: tropical wet/dry with unreliable rains. Lowlands: semi-arid to arid |
| Population: | 3.3 million (2002 estimate); G.N.P. per caput: US$190 (2001) |
| Specific characteristics of the country: | Low-income food-deficit country |
| Logistics: | Roads inadequate, gateway to northern Ethiopia |
| Major foodcrops: | Sorghum, teff, millet, maize, pulses |
| Marketing year: | January/December; Lean season: August-November |
| Share of cereals in total calorie intake: | 73 percent |
An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission which visited the country from 19 August to 1 September has found that the secondary azmera season rains have totally failed and the main kremti season rains arrived late over most of the country. The current poor agricultural season could not have come at a worse time. The country has just started the recovery from a devastating border war with neighbouring Ethiopia. A large number of people, including farmers, are still displaced and thousands of soldiers are yet to be demobilised. Furthermore, the resettlement of Eritrean refugees that are returning from Sudan is a further strain on the country's resources.
Against this adverse backdrop, the Mission forecast a cereal harvest of a mere 74 000 tonnes, nearly 60 percent below the average of the last 10 years. This figure has been revised down recently to 54 000 tonnes. The poor rains have also had a serious impact on the country's livestock and drought-related livestock deaths were reported in several parts of the country. The cereal import requirement for the marketing year 2003 (January/December) is now estimated at 440 000 tonnes. Reflecting the serious economic difficulties facing the country, only 20 percent of the requirement is anticipated to be covered commercially. With 60 000 tonnes of food aid expected by the end of 2002, the uncovered deficit, for which international assistance is required, is estimated at 273 000 tonnes. The UN, in conjunction with the Government of Eritrea, launched it's consolidated appeal for assistance on 19 November 2002 for US$ 163.4 million in food and non-food assistance. The bulk of the request, about US$ 105 million, came from WFP to help feed the nation's 1.4 million drought-affected people. This year's appeal was up more than 60 percent from 2001, when the UN requested US$ 92 million for 800 000 war and drought-affected people.
| Wheat | Rice | Coarse grains | Total | |
| Previous five years average production | 17 | - | 227 | 244 |
| Previous five years average imports | 184 | 8 | 59 | 251 |
| 2003 Domestic Availability | 10 | - | 54 | 64 |
| 2002 Production (rice in paddy terms) | 10 | - | 44 | 54 |
| 2002 Production (rice in milled terms) | 10 | - | 44 | 54 |
| Possible stock drawdown | - | - | 10 | 10 |
| 2003 Utilization | 205 | 15 | 284 | 504 |
| Food use | 195 | 15 | 272 | 482 |
| of which: local purchase requirement | - | - | - | - |
| Non-food use | 10 | - | 12 | 22 |
| Exports or re-exports | - | - | - | - |
| Possible stock build up | - | - | - | - |
| 2003 Import Requirement | 195 | 15 | 230 | 440 |
| Anticipated commercial imports | 35 | 15 | 30 | 80 |
| Food aid needs | 160 | - | 200 | 360 |
| Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/year) | 57 | 4 | 79 | 140 |
| Indexes | ||||
| 2002 Production as % of average: | 22 | |||
| 2003 Import requirement as % of average: | 175 |