Reference Date: 04-December-2024

Favourable weather conditions for 2024 maize crop

The main food crop is cassava, which is cultivated throughout the year, alternatively in northern and southern regions, depending on the rainy season. A limited quantity of cereals is also grown in the country, mainly maize, which is largely used for the production of livestock feed. Harvesting of the 2024 main maize crop will start in mid‑December and the output is forecast at a near‑average level, following overall beneficial weather conditions during the season, which had a positive impact on yields. According to latest weather forecasts, favourable weather conditions are likely to persist until the end of the harvest period in early 2025. Planting of the 2025 secondary season maize crop, to be harvested in June and July next year, is expected to start next February.

National Gross domestic product (GDP) continued to increase in 2024

Agriculture contributes to a small portion of the national GDP, reflecting the predominance of the petroleum industry. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the national GDP growth was estimated at about 1.8 percent in 2023 and 2.5 percent in 2024, and it is forecast to rise by about 3.2 percent in 2025 and 3.3 percent in 2026. The annual inflation rate is estimated at 3.2 percent for 2024. In 2025, it is forecast to decrease at an average level of 2.5 percent, supported by declining prices of domestic food commodities and imports.

Cereal imports in 2024 forecast at near ‑ average level

Domestic cereal production covers only a small portion of the consumption requirements and imports account for approximately 90 percent of the total cereal utilization. With a population of about 6 million, total cereal imports for the 2024 marketing year (January/December) are forecast at a near ‑ average level of 350 000 tonnes, including 210 000 tonnes of wheat and 130 000 tonnes of rice.

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/ .