FAO/GIEWS: Africa Report No.1 - May 2003 p.53
Prospects for the 2003 cereal harvest are poor due to dry weather during the season, mainly in southern areas, and shortages of agricultural inputs. An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission is currently visiting the country. Tentatively, coarse grain production, mainly maize, is forecast at 1 million tonnes, 83 percent above last year’s poor level of 563 000 tonnes but still some 32 percent below the average of the past five years. Import requirements in the new marketing year are estimated at 750 000 tonnes of coarse grains and 182 000 tonnes of wheat and rice.
| CEREAL SUPPLY/DEMAND BALANCE FOR THE 2003/04 MARKETING YEAR (April/March) | ||||
| Wheat | Rice | Coarse Grains | Total Cereals | |
| [ | thousand tonnes | ] | ||
| Previous year production | 160 | 2 | 563 | 725 |
| Previous five years average production | 257 | - | 1 517 | 1 774 |
| Previous year imports | 36 | 12 | 1 090 | 1 138 |
| Previous five years average imports | 119 | 22 | 358 | 499 |
| 2003/04 Domestic Availability | 180 | 1 | 1 032 | 1 213 |
| 2003 Production (rice in paddy terms) | 180 | 2 | 1 032 | 1 214 |
| 2003 Production (rice in milled terms) | 180 | 1 | 1 032 | 1 213 |
| Possible stock drawdown | - | - | - | - |
| 2003/04 Utilization | 350 | 13 | 1 782 | 2 145 |
| Food use | 340 | 13 | 1 453 | 1 806 |
| Non-food use | 10 | - | 319 | 329 |
| Exports or re-exports | - | - | - | - |
| Possible stock build up | - | - | 10 | 10 |
| 2003/04 Import Requirement | 170 | 12 | 750 | 932 |
| Anticipated commercial imports | 160 | 12 | 400 | 572 |
| of which: received or contracted | - | - | - | - |
| Food aid needs | 10 | - | 350 | 360 |
| Current Aid Position | ||||
| Food aid pledges | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| of which: delivered | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Donor-financed purchases | - | - | - | - |
| of which: for local use | - | - | - | - |
| for export | - | - | - | - |
| Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/year) | 29 | 1 | 124 | 154 |
| Indexes | [ | percentage | ] | |
| 2003 Prod. compared to average (rice paddy terms): | 70 | - | 68 | 68 |
| 2003/04 Import requirement compared to average: | 143 | 55 | 209 | 187 |
| Cereal share of total calorie intake: | 58 | |||
| Additional Information | ||||
| Major foodcrops: | maize; wheat; millet; sorghum | |||
| Lean season: | February-April | |||
| Population (000s): | 11 728 | |||
| GNP per capita in 2001 (US$): | 480 | |||