GABON (10 February)
The main food crops are cassava and plantains. The only cereal crop grown is maize which is sown from July and harvested from November. In a normal year production reaches about 30 000 tonnes. Imports of cereals in 2005, mainly wheat and rice, are estimated at some 167 000 tonnes. Economic growth has trended downwards recently, due to declining oil production, which will continue to affect households’ income and access to food.