FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
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Aggregate cereal production in 2011 is estimated to have increased by 16 percent compared to 2010
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However, access to food continues to be affected by high prices mainly following the rapid depreciation of the Guinean Franc
Favourable weather conditions benefited crops in 2011
Harvesting of rice, the most important crop produced in the country, is nearly complete. Crops benefited from favourable climatic conditions in most areas of the country. Aggregate 2011 cereal production is estimated to have increased by about 16 percent to 3.3 million tonnes compared to 2010.
Access to food is constrained by high prices
In spite of the good harvest, access to food continues to be negatively affected by high price and inflation rates. Following a strong depreciation of the Guinea Franc, the price of rice - the staple food for Guineans- more than doubled between 2006 and 2007. Since then, rice prices have generally been following an upward trend, fuelling inflation and seriously eroding the purchasing power and access to food of both urban and rural populations. Consumer price inflation is estimated to have reached 20 percent in 2010 and 16 percent in 2011, up from 9 percent in 2009, driven by a renewed and rapid depreciation of the Guinean franc and continuing rise in rice prices.