Due to favourable rainfall during the growing season, the aggregate output of cereals is estimated to be a record 1.2 million tons. Illegal imports of fertilizers from Nigeria have been reported, allowing cotton producers to sell a part of their harvest to Nigerians instead of selling it to the national marketing board.
The overall food supply situation is satisfactory and markets are well supplied. For the 1995/96 marketing year, (July/June), the cereal import requirement is estimated at 347 000 tons, mainly wheat and rice.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (5 February)
The harvest of the second maize crop is completed and is expected to be satisfactory following favourable weather conditions during the growing season.
Following a good harvest, the overall food supply situation is satisfactory. For the 1995/96 marketing year (September/August), cereal import requirement is estimated at 34 000 tons, mainly wheat and rice. Recent estimates indicate that 13 000 Chadian and 25 000 Sudanese refugees are still in the country and continue to receive food assistance. Following an agreement between the governments of CAR and Sudan and the UNHCR, 13 000 Sudanese refugees will be repatriated in February.
The second maize crop has been harvested and the output is expected to be about average.
The overall food supply situation is satisfactory. Staple foodcrops are roots, tubers and plantains. Cereal production is estimated at some 21 000 tons, mainly maize. For the 1995/96 marketing year (July/June), cereal import requirement is estimated at 108 000 tons, mostly wheat, and structural food aid requirement at 3 000 tons.
EQUATORIAL GUINEA (5 February)
The staple food crops are roots, tubers and plantains and the country annually imports some 10 000 tons of wheat and rice, half of which is in the form of food aid.
The staple foodcrops are cassava and plantains. Production of cereals, mainly maize is estimated at around 26 000 tons. The country needs to import the bulk of its wheat and rice requirements which is estimated at 62 000 tons. No food aid is necessary.
The country received abundant rainfall in December and January. In northern and central parts, maize and rice have been harvested, while in the south, recently planted coarse grains are growing satisfactorily.
In December 1995, the number of Rwandan refugees receiving food assistance was estimated at 1 150 000. Small scale repatriation continues for refugees in Goma and Bukavu camps. The security situation remains tense in Uvira, Bukavu and Goma camps, worsened by tensions in the army. During December, growing conflict in the Citiboke and Bubanza provinces in the north-west of Burundi resulted in increasing numbers of people seeking asylum in Uvira. Food aid is also distributed to 50 000 Sudanese, 41 000 Angolan and 14 000 Ugandan refugees in other regions.
The food supply situation remains tight in urban areas. Inflation decreased from 6000 % in 1994 to about 300 percent in 1995 but unemployment and economic difficulties in a tense political climate are severely affecting the population. Agriculture remains the only growing economic sector. Despite high production potential, a substantial part of cereal consumption is imported due to lack of transport and marketing infrastructures between rural and urban areas.