Area:
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124 320 sq.km
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Climate:
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Highland areas: tropical wet/dry with unreliable rains. Lowlands: semi-arid to arid
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Population:
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3.2 million (2001 estimate); G.N.P. per caput: US$200 (1999)
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Specific characteristics of the country:
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Low-income food-deficit country
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Logistics:
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Roads inadequate, gateway to northern Ethiopia
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Major foodcrops:
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Sorghum, teff, millet, maize, pulses
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Marketing year:
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January/December; Lean season: August-November
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Share of cereals in total calorie intake:
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73 percent
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The food situation continues to be tight for nearly 1.8 million people affected by the war with Ethiopia and last year's drought. The 2000 cereal crop was sharply reduced due to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of farmers from the agriculturally rich regions of Gash Barka and Debub, accounting for more than 70 percent of cereal production. The total cereal output is provisionally estimated at 71 000 tonnes, a decrease of 66 percent from the previous five year's average. Furthermore, prospects for the 2001 agricultural season, starting in the following few weeks, remains bleak with households unable to return to their farms, so far, and large tracts of land still inaccessible due to landmines.
Cereal prices, which normally decline after harvest were generally increasing or remained unchanged in most market centres reflecting the poor harvest. In the light of ongoing humanitarian needs in Eritrea, due to the cumulative effects of conflict and drought, the Eritrean Refugee and Relief Commission (ERREC) have launched an appeal, on 22 February 2001, for US$224 million to assist nearly 2 million people for a period of twelve months (January-December).
The UN Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal, which includes project proposals from nine UN agencies, totals US$160 million. A timely response is anticipated to alleviate some of the suffering.
| Wheat | Rice | Coarse grains | Total | |
| Previous five years average production | 12 | - | 196 | 208 |
| Previous five years average imports | 160 | 1 | 87 | 248 |
| 2001 Domestic Availability | 28 | - | 139 | 167 |
| 2000 Production (rice in paddy terms) | 8 | - | 63 | 71 |
| 2000 Production (rice in milled terms) | 8 | - | 63 | 71 |
| Possible stock drawdown | 20 | - | 76 | 96 |
| 2001 Utilization | 178 | - | 229 | 407 |
| Food Use | 177 | - | 204 | 381 |
| of which: local purchase requirement | - | - | - | - |
| Non-food use | 1 | - | 25 | 26 |
| Exports or Re-exports | - | - | - | - |
| Possible stock build up | - | - | - | - |
| 2001 Import Requirement | 150 | - | 90 | 240 |
| Anticipated commercial imports | 70 | - | 90 | 160 |
| Food aid needs | 80 | - | - | 80 |
| Current Aid Position | ||||
| Food aid pledges | 55 | - | - | 55 |
| of which: Delivered | - | - | - | - |
| Donor-financed purchases | - | - | - | - |
| of which: for local use | - | - | - | - |
| for export | - | - | - | - |
| Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/Year) | 55 | - | 64 | 119 |
| Indexes | ||||
| 2001 production as % of average: | 34 | |||
| 2001 import requirement as % of average: | 97 |
