Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
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Paddy output in 2023 estimated to be near average
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Planting of 2024 main paddy crop ongoing under overall favourable conditions
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Slightly above-average cereal import requirements forecast in 2023/24 marketing year
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Prices of staple rice and black beans higher year-on-year in January 2024
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About 1.1 million people estimated to face acute food insecurity between December 2023 and April 2024
Paddy output in 2023 estimated to be near average
Harvesting of the 2023 second season paddy crop was completed in December 2023 and the 2023 paddy production is estimated at an average level of 1.1 million tonnes, slightly lower than the bumper production attained in 2022. Excellent yields of the first season crop, harvested in the first half of the year, offset a slight contraction of area sown with the second season crop. The above-average yields in the first half of 2023 were mainly due to increased access to fertilizers and diesel, as both inputs have been subsidized by the government with a total budget of DOP 5 150 million (equivalent to about USD 88 million) in 2023. Torrential rains in mid-November 2023 displaced 37 000 people and affected about 7 400 houses, especially in the provinces of Duarte, Santo Domingo and Barahona. Official estimates about damages in the agricultural sector amount to USD 460 million, including 4 000 hectares of cropping area flooded and 1 500 km of greenhouses affected.
Maize output in 2023 is estimated at an above-average level of 80 000 tonnes due to an increase in area sown, on account of strong demand by the domestic feed sector, amid rising poultry production. The decision of the main national beer factory to purchase domestically produced maize also supported acreage expansion.