FAO/GIEWS: Africa Report No.2 - July 2003 p.59
An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission in May estimated the 2003 cereal production at 1 million tonnes, including forecast for the winter wheat and barley crops. At this level, production is 41 percent higher than the poor level of last year but still well below average. Cereal import requirement for 2003/04 are estimated at 1.287 million tonnes, of which maize accounts for 980 000 tonnes. Given the acute shortage of foreign exchange, 610 000 tonnes need to be met through food aid.
| CEREAL SUPPLY/DEMAND BALANCE FOR THE 2003/04 MARKETING YEAR (April/March) | ||||
| Wheat | Rice | Coarse Grains | Total Cereals | |
| [ | thousand tonnes | ] | ||
| Previous year production | 160 | 2 | 552 | 714 |
| Previous five years average production | 272 | - | 1 532 | 1 804 |
| Previous year imports | 36 | 12 | 1 198 | 1 246 |
| Previous five years average imports | 119 | 22 | 382 | 523 |
| 2003/04 Domestic Availability | 90 | 3 | 917 | 1 010 |
| 2003 Production (rice in paddy terms) | 90 | 5 | 917 | 1 011 |
| 2003 Production (rice in milled terms) | 90 | 3 | 917 | 1 010 |
| Possible stock drawdown | - | - | - | - |
| 2003/04 Utilization | 388 | 12 | 1 897 | 2 297 |
| Food use | 341 | 12 | 1 567 | 1 920 |
| Non-food use | 12 | - | 300 | 312 |
| Exports or re-exports | - | - | - | - |
| Possible stock build up | 35 | - | 30 | 65 |
| 2003/04 Import Requirement | 298 | 9 | 980 | 1 287 |
| Anticipated commercial imports | 298 | 9 | 370 | 677 |
| of which: received or contracted | - | - | 182 | 182 |
| Food aid needs | - | - | 610 | 610 |
| Current Aid Position | ||||
| Food aid pledges | - | 17 | 120 | 137 |
| of which: delivered | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Donor-financed purchases | - | - | - | - |
| of which: for local use | - | - | - | - |
| for export | - | - | - | - |
| Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/year) | 29 | 1 | 133 | 163 |
| Indexes | [ | percentage | ] | |
| 2003 Prod. compared to average (rice paddy terms) | 33 | - | 60 | 56 |
| 2003/04 Import requirement compared to average | 250 | 41 | 257 | 246 |
| Cereal share of total calorie intake | 58 | |||
| Additional Information | ||||
| Major foodcrops | maize; wheat; millet; sorghum | |||
| Lean season | February-April | |||
| Population (000s) | 11 770 | |||
| GNP per capita in 2001 (US$) | 480 | |||