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Area:
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823 000 sq.km
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Climate:
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Mostly arid (south-west and coast) or semi-arid. Only north and north-east gets regular rainfall in November-April
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Population:
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1.74 million (2000 estimate); G.N.P. per caput: US$1 890 (1999)
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Specific characteristics of the country:
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Arid to semi-arid country; cereal production mainly in the north
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Logistics:
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Good road and railway network
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Major foodcrops:
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Millet, maize, sorghum, wheat
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Marketing year:
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May/April;
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Share of cereals in total calorie intake:
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48 percent
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A delay in the start of the rainy season, coupled with severe dry weather in January and first dekad of February in the major cereal growing areas of the north, resulted in planting reductions and poor yields. Maize production in 2001 is tentatively estimated at 45 percent below the satisfactory harvest of last year at 27 000 tonnes. Production is also 10 percent lower than the average of the past five years. Estimates of the sorghum/millet harvest, accounting for two-thirds of the total cereal production, are not yet available, but the output is expected to decline from the below-normal level of last year.
As a result of the sharply reduced maize harvest, imports of coarse grains in marketing year 2001/02 (April/March) are projected at 54 000 tonnes. In addition, the country needs to import 45 000 tonnes of wheat, the crop for which it has a structural deficit. Although all import requirements are expected to be covered on commercial basis, the food supply situation is anticipated to be very tight for small farmers who experienced crop failure this season.
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Wheat
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Rice
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Coarse grains
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Total
| |
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Previous five years average production
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5
|
-
|
101
|
106
|
|
Previous five years average imports
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39
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-
|
65
|
104
|
|
2001/02 Domestic Availability
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5
|
-
|
93
|
98
|
|
2001 Production (rice in paddy terms)
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5
|
-
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85
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90
|
|
2001 Production (rice in milled terms)
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5
|
-
|
85
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90
|
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Possible stock drawdown
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-
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-
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8
|
8
|
|
2001/02 Utilization
|
50
|
-
|
147
|
197
|
|
Food use
|
50
|
-
|
137
|
187
|
|
of which: local purchase requirement
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Non-food use
|
-
|
-
|
10
|
10
|
|
Exports or re-exports
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
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Possible stock build up
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
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2001/02 Import Requirement
|
45
|
-
|
54
|
99
|
|
Anticipated commercial imports
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45
|
-
|
54
|
99
|
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Food aid needs
|
-
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-
|
-
|
-
|
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Current Aid Position
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||||
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Food aid pledges
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
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of which: delivered
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-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
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Donor-financed purchases
|
-
|
-
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-
|
-
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of which: for local use
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-
|
-
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-
|
-
|
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for export
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
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Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/year)
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26
|
-
|
71
|
97
|
|
Indexes
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||||
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2001 Production as % of average:
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85
| |||
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2001/02 Import requirement as % of average:
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95
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