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Reference Date: 13-May-2013
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FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
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Above-average cereal production in 2012, despite erratic precipitation in parts of the country
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Access to food constrained by high food prices
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The 2013 rainy season has started in the South
The raining season has started in the southern part of the country, where planting of the first maize crop is underway. Planting will progress northwards with the onset of rains.
A good cereal crop was gathered in 2012
Harvesting of the 2012 second season maize crop was completed in January in the South. In the North, which has only one rainy season, harvesting of coarse grains was completed last December. The aggregate cereal production in 2012 is estimated at about 2.9 million tonnes, which is 10 percent above the previous year’s output and well above average. In spite of the erratic precipitation in parts of the country, the continuation of Government assistance, in the form of subsidized fertilisers and increased technical support for large-scale farming, supported crop development throughout the season.
Access to food constrained by high food prices
Although cereal production has been following an upward trend in recent years, coarse grains prices have remained at relatively high levels, notably in the northern part of the country. In Tamale, for instance, maize prices in December 2012 were still 33 percent above the levels of December 2010, although they have dropped significantly from July 2012 with the new harvests. Prices of imported rice also have risen significantly from mid-2011 and remained at very high levels throughout 2012. Average wholesale prices of imported rice more than doubled between December 2010 and December 2012. High prices of imported rice are driven mostly by the depreciation of the local currency and lower imports volume.
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