Reference Date: 02-February-2024

Cereal production in 2023 estimated at above‑average level

In southern bimodal rainfall areas, harvesting of the 2023 main season maize crop was completed last September, while harvesting operations of the rice crop concluded last December. Cumulative rainfall amounts between March and August were generally above average, supporting yields. Harvesting of the second season maize crop is about to be completed, and yields benefitted from adequate cumulative precipitation amounts between August and November.

In northern unimodal rainfall areas, harvesting operations of the 2023 cereal crops concluded last December. Weather conditions were generally favourable between May and September, supporting yields.

The 2023 aggregate cereal production is estimated at 3.2 million tonnes, nearly 6 percent above the 2022 average level, mainly reflecting an increase in rice output due mostly to an expansion in the area planted. Furthermore, the support by the government in terms of improving access to agricultural inputs, machinery, and mechanization and extension services, boosted yields.

Prices of rice slightly above year‑earlier levels

Retail prices of local and imported rice, the most consumed cereal in the country, registered slight increases in the market of Abidjan between January and December 2023 (latest available data), when they were about 5 and 15 percent, respectively, above their year‑earlier levels.

On 15 January 2024, the government announced, with immediate effect, a six‑month suspension of exports of 20 types of basic food products, including rice, maize, sorghum, millet, fonio, cassava, yam and attiéké, in order to improve the supply of local markets. The government had previously imposed a ban on the export of rice and sugar, which was in place from 18 September to 31 December 2023.

Acute food insecurity projected to increase in 2024

According to the November 2023 “Cadre Harmonisé” (CH) analysis, nearly 801 000 people (about 3 percent of the analysed population) were estimated to face acute food insecurity (CH Phase 3 [Crisis]) between October and December 2023. This is slightly below the 849 000 people estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance during the same period in 2022.

Humanitarian needs are particularly high for the 45 000 asylum seekers hosted in the country, mostly from Burkina Faso and Mali.

In the 2024 lean season period, between June and August, about 1 million people (4 percent of the analysed population) are projected to face acute food insecurity (CH Phase 3 [Crisis]).

Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

This brief was prepared using the following data/tools:
FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance Sheet (CCBS) https://www.fao.org/giews/data-tools/en/ .

FAO/GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool https://fpma.fao.org/ .

FAO/GIEWS Earth Observation for Crop Monitoring https://www.fao.org/giews/earthobservation/ .

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) https://www.ipcinfo.org/ .