Area:
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1 259 000 sq.km
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Climate:
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From north to south: arid, semi-arid and tropical wet-dry; rainy season: May-Oct.
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Population:
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7.23 million (1999 estimate); G.N.P. per caput: US$ 240 (1997)
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Specific characteristics of the country:
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Low-income food-deficit country; land-locked sahelian country.
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Logistics:
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Roads inadequate during rainy season
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Major foodcrops:
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Millet and sorghum, roots and tubers, tree nuts
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Marketing year:
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November/October; Lean season: August-September
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Share of cereals in total calorie intake:
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52 percent
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Growing conditions improved following above normal rains in late June and early July. Following first sporadic rains in mid-March and April in the extreme south, the rainy season really started in May in the south. Rains progressed northwards through late May but decreased in early June, remaining below normal during the first two dekads of June. Precipitation resumed in late June and above normal rainfall has been received during the third dekad of June. During the first dekad of July, satellite imagery indicates that precitation remained generally above normal in the Sahelian zone but below normal in the south, in the Sudanian zone. Planting of coarse grains is underway in the Sahelian zone, while in the Sudanian zone crops are emerging but may suffer water stress if rains do not resume soon.
Pastures are regenerating following recent rains. Grasshopper infestations are reported in Guéra, Salamat and Tandjilé regions. They caused damage to emerging sorghum in Bitkine and Mongo areas in Guéra region. Army worm infestations reported in May in the Sudanian zone have decreased. No Desert Locust activity is reported.
Final 1998 cereal production figures have recently been published. The aggregate output of cereal is estimated at a record 1.3 million tonnes, some 37 percent above 1997 and 48 percent above the last five-year average. The overall food supply situation is satisfactory, notably in the Sahelian zone which harvested well above average production. However, food supply difficulties are likely in areas of the Sudanian zone affected by flooding and/or poor crops in 1998, notably in Logone oriental and occidental and in Tandjilé, where a WFP Assessment Mission in May undertook nutritional surveys and recommended about 4 000 tonnes of food aid for 255 700 persons.
| Wheat | Rice | Coarse grains | Total | |
| Normal Production | 3 | 83 | 828 | 914 |
| Normal Imports | 50 | 10 | 10 | 70 |
| of which: Structural food aid | 4 | 1 | 10 | 15 |
| 1998/99 Domestic Availability | 5 | 74 | 1 195 | 1 274 |
| 1998 Production (rice in paddy terms) | 5 | 100 | 1 195 | 1 300 |
| 1998 Production (rice in milled terms) | 5 | 69 | 1 195 | 1 269 |
| Possible stock drawdown | - | 5 | - | 5 |
| 1998/99 Utilization | 65 | 86 | 1 195 | 1 346 |
| Food Use | 64 | 74 | 826 | 963 |
| of which: local purchase requirement | - | - | 20 | 20 |
| Non-food use | 1 | 12 | 189 | 202 |
| Exports or Re-exports | - | - | 20 | 20 |
| Possible stock build up | - | - | 160 | 160 |
| 1998/99 Import Requirement | 60 | 12 | - | 72 |
| Anticipated commercial imports | 50 | 10 | - | 60 |
| Food aid needs | 10 | 2 | - | 12 |
| Current Aid Position | ||||
| Food aid pledges | 2 | - | 1 | 3 |
| of which: Delivered | 2 | - | 1 | 3 |
| Donor-financed purchases | - | - | 4 | 4 |
| of which: for local use | - | - | 4 | 4 |
| for export | - | - | - | - |
| Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/Year) | 9 | 10 | 114 | 133 |
| Indexes | ||||
| 1998 production as % of normal: | 142 | |||
| 1998/99 import requirement as % of normal: | 103 | |||
| 1998/99 food aid requirement as % of normal: | 80 |
