Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
- Harvest of winter wheat crops expected to begin in July 2025
- Below‑average cereal production obtained in 2024
- Total cereal exports in 2024/25 forecast below average
- Prices of wheat flour above previous year’s level as of February 2025
Harvest of winter wheat crops expected to begin in July 2025
Sowing of the 2025 winter cereal crops, mainly wheat, took place in September 2024 under favourable weather conditions. Crops are currently in dormancy phase and snow cover was reported to be sufficient to protect crops from frosts and to secure good soil moisture levels for their growth and for planting the 2025 spring crops. The harvest of winter crops is expected to take place between July and August 2025. Planting of the 2025 maize crop, to be harvested from October, will take place in May. Sowing of other spring cereals, mostly barley, started in April and crops are expected to be harvested between August and September 2025.
Below-average cereal production obtained in 2024
Harvesting of the 2024 winter cereal crops finalized in August 2024, while harvesting of spring crops was concluded in November. According to preliminary official data, aggregate 2024 cereal production is estimated at about 2.15 million tonnes, below the five‑year average. Wheat output is set at about 1.2 million tonnes, above the five‑year average, but slightly below last year’s near‑record level. Production of maize is estimated at a below‑average level of 717 000 tonnes due to high temperatures and low rainfall amounts from May to July 2024, which affected crop development and yields, mostly in central and southern regions.
Total cereal exports in 2024/25 forecast below average
Total cereal exports in the 2024/25 marketing year (July/June) are forecast at about 1 million tonnes, about 30 percent below the five‑year average. The significant reduction is mainly due to the below‑average maize production harvested in 2024, which limited the exportable surplus.
Prices of wheat flour near previous year’s level as of February 2025
According to official estimates, the country’s national annual inflation rate is forecast at 7.0 percent in 2025 above the estimated rate of 4.2 percent in 2024, mostly driven by increases in food and energy prices. National average retail prices of wheat flour increased from August 2024 to February 2025 and were near above the previous year’s level, driven by an adequate domestic wheat supply.