Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
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Overall favourable production prospects for 2023 cereals
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Near‑average cereal production obtained in 2022
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Wheat import requirements in 2022/23 forecast at near‑average level
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In May, retail prices of wheat higher year‑on‑year
Overall favourable production prospects for 2023 cereals
Planting of the 2023 winter cereal crops, mainly wheat, to be harvested from June, took place in November and December 2022*. *Precipitation amounts during the season have been overall adequate and favourable production prospects are forecast for the 2023 winter cereal harvest.
According to the State Committee of Statistics of Azerbaijan, plantings of the 2023 spring cereals began in early March under overall favourable weather conditions.
Near‑average cereal production obtained in 2022
Harvesting of the 2022 cereal crops finalized last August and the output is estimated at about 3.1 million tonnes, near the five‑year average level. Despite the large plantings, 2022 output of wheat is officially set at 1.9 million tonnes, slightly below the average level as yields have been affected by below‑average rainfall amounts during the season. Barley output is estimated at about 950 000 tonnes, 4 percent below average and 17 percent below the previous year's bumper output.
Wheat import requirements in 2022/23 forecast at near‑average level
In the 2022/23 marketing year (July/June), total cereal import requirements are forecast at 1.3 million tonnes, near the average volume. As a result, wheat import requirements, which account on average for more than 90 percent of the total cereal imports, are forecast at an average level.
Retail prices of wheat higher year‑on‑year
Retail prices of wheat flour increased steadily between July 2022 and March 2023 (latest available data), following seasonal trends. Last March, prices of imported wheat flour were near their levels of a year earlier, while prices of locally produced flour were 16 percent higher, reflecting market uncertainty as well as the high costs of agricultural inputs and transports.
Prices of potatoes, another important staple in the country, increased sharply between September 2022 and March 2023, due to increased fertilizer costs and reduced stocks.