FAO/GIEWS: Africa Report No.3 - December 2003 p.48
An FAO/CILSS Crop Assessment Mission, which visited the country recently, estimated 2003 aggregate cereal production at some 1.6 million tonnes which is almost the double of last year’s poor harvest and 44 percent higher than the average for the previous five years. In spite of this bumper crop, cereal import is not expected to decline significantly in 2003/04, due to consumers’ preference for imported rice. About 200 000 tonnes of maize are available for export and possible stock build up in the country.
| CEREAL SUPPLY/DEMAND BALANCE FOR THE 2003/04 MARKETING YEAR (November/October) | ||||
| Wheat | Rice | Coarse Grains | Total Cereals | |
| [ | thousand tonnes | ] | ||
| Previous year production (incl. paddy rice) | - | 218 | 633 | 851 |
| Previous five years average production (incl. paddy rice) | - | 221 | 710 | 931 |
| Previous year imports | 265 | 674 | 102 | 1 042 |
| Previous five years average imports | 253 | 589 | 56 | 898 |
| 2003/04 Domestic Availability | 20 | 176 | 1 349 | 1 545 |
| 2003 Production (incl. paddy rice) | - | 251 | 1 349 | 1 600 |
| 2003 Production (incl. milled rice) | - | 176 | 1 349 | 1 525 |
| Possible stock drawdown | 20 | - | - | 20 |
| 2003/04 Utilization | 279 | 833 | 1 402 | 2 514 |
| Food use | 274 | 806 | 984 | 2 063 |
| Non-food use | 5 | 28 | 255 | 287 |
| Exports or re-exports | - | - | 100 | 100 |
| Possible stock build up | - | - | 63 | 63 |
| 2003/04 Import Requirement | 259 | 657 | 53 | 969 |
| Anticipated commercial imports | 259 | 650 | 50 | 959 |
| of which: received or contracted | - | - | - | - |
| Food aid needs | - | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Current Aid Position | ||||
| Food aid pledges | - | - | - | - |
| of which: delivered | - | - | - | - |
| Donor-financed purchases | - | - | - | - |
| of which: for local use | - | - | - | - |
| for export | - | - | - | - |
| Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/year) | 27 | 78 | 96 | 201 |
| Indexes | [ | percentage | ] | |
| 2003 Production compared to average (incl. paddy rice) | - | 114 | 190 | 172 |
| 2003/04 Import requirement compared to average | 102 | 112 | 94 | 108 |
| Cereal share of total calorie intake | 61 | |||
| Additional Information | ||||
| Major foodcrops | millet; sorghum; rice; maize; wheat | |||
| Lean season | August-September | |||
| Population (000s) | 10 272 | |||
| GNP per capita in 2002 (US$) | 470 | |||