Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
- Planting of 2025 maize crop expected to start in July
- Maize output in 2024 estimated at above‑average level
- Prices of most cereals near or below year‑earlier levels
- About 35 300 people acutely food insecure during 2025 lean season
Planting of 2025 maize crop expected to start in July
Seasonal dry weather conditions are prevailing and planting of the 2025 maize crop, the only domestically grown cereal, is expected to begin in July. According to the latest weather forecast by the Forum on Seasonal Forecasts of Agro‑hydro‑climatic Characteristics of the Rainy Season for the Sudanian and Sahelian Zones of West Africa and the Sahel (PRESASS), the rainy season, which usually extends from August to October, is expected to be characterized by average to above‑average cumulative rainfall amounts, likely benefitting yields.
Maize output in 2024 estimated at above‑average level
Maize production in 2024 is officially estimated at about 3 600 tonnes, nearly 80 percent above the low the average of the previous five years, which includes three consecutive years of failed harvests due to droughts. The above‑average production in 2024 is due to generally favourable weather conditions and the provision of agricultural inputs by the government, which offset a significant reduction in area planted. The reduction in plantings is part of a broader trend of abandonment of agricultural activities in some areas of the country, driven by erratic rainfall and the high cost of agricultural labour in recent years.
Prices of most cereals near or below year‑earlier levels
Retail prices of locally produced maize remained stable in monitored markets during the first quarter of 2025, and, in March 2025, they were near or below their year‑earlier values.
Retail prices of imported wheat flour followed mixed trends between January and March 2025, while prices of imported rice were stable or increased by up to 10 percent during the same period. In March 2025, prices of wheat flour were near their year‑earlier levels, while prices of rice were up to 25 percent higher on a yearly basis.
About 35 300 people acutely food insecure during 2025 lean season
According to the latest available Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis, about 35 300 people (7 percent of the analyzed population) are projected to be acutely food insecure (CH Phase 3 [Crisis]) during the June to August 2025 lean season period. This represents an improvement compared to the same period in 2024, when about 44 100 people (9 percent of the analyzed population) were estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance.