| Area: | 94 000 sq.km |
| Climate: | Tropical wet-dry climate with one rainy season (November-May) |
| Population | 11.57 million (1997 estimate); G.N.P. per caput: U.S.$ 170 (1995) |
| Specific characteristics of the country: | Low-income food-deficit country; land-locked country; importer and exporter of grain |
| Logistics: | Imports/exports through Beira (Mozambique) or Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) |
| Major foodcrops: | Maize, pulses, roots, tubers, rice |
| Marketing year: | April/March; Lean season: February-March |
| Share of cereals in total calorie intake: | 70 percent |
CURRENT SITUATION
Following abundant and widely distributed rainfall in most parts of the country the 1998 crop, recently harvested, is officially estimated at 1.9 mllion tonnes. This is above average and 13 percent higher than the 1997 relatively good crop. Thus, the overall food supply situation is expected to improve substantially during the 1998/99 marketing year. People in localized food deficit areas in the north, where excessive rains resulted in flooding with loss of crops, are expected to be assisted under Government programmes helped by aid agencies.
| Wheat | Rice | Coarse grains | Total | |
| Normal Production | 2 | 35 | 1 330 | 1 367 |
| Normal Imports | 40 | 3 | 40 | 83 |
| of which: Structural food aid | - | - | 40 | 40 |
| 1998/99 Domestic Availability | 3 | 32 | 1 860 | 1 895 |
| 1998 Production (rice in paddy terms) | 3 | 50 | 1 860 | 1 913 |
| 1998 Production (rice in milled terms) | 3 | 32 | 1 860 | 1 895 |
| Possible stock drawdown | - | - | - | - |
| 1998/99 Utilization | 53 | 34 | 1 910 | 1 997 |
| Food Use | 53 | 28 | 1 725 | 1 806 |
| of which: local purchase requirement | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Non-food use | - | 5 | 170 | 175 |
| Exports or Re-exports | - | 1 | - | 1 |
| Possible stock build up | - | - | 15 | 15 |
| 1998/99 Import Requirement | 50 | 2 | 50 | 102 |
| Anticipated commercial imports | 50 | 2 | 50 | 102 |
| Food aid needs | - | - | - | - |
| Current Aid Position | ||||
| Food aid pledges | 7 | - | 19 | 26 |
| of which: Delivered | - | - | 15 | 15 |
| Donor-financed purchases | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| of which: for local use | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| for export | - | - | - | - |
| Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/year) | 4 | 2 | 141 | 148 |
| Indexes | ||||
| 1998 production as % of normal: | 140 | |||
| 1998/99 import requirement as % of normal: | 123 | |||
| 1998/99 food aid requirement as % of normal: | - |
