Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
- Planting of 2025 cereal crops expected to start in June
- Cereal production in 2024 estimated at above-average level
- Prices of coarse grains near or below year-earlier levels
- About 2.22 million people acutely food insecure during 2025 lean season
Planting of 2025 cereal crops expected to start in June
Seasonal dry weather conditions are prevailing and planting of 2025 cereal crops, including millet, sorghum, rice and maize, is expected to begin in June. 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 June to September, is expected to be characterized by a timely onset and average to above-average rainfall amounts, likely boosting yields, but also heigthening the risk of flooding.
Civil insecurity is expected to continue disrupting agricultural activities in parts of the regions of Tillabéri, Tahoua, Maradi and Diffa in 2025.
Cereal production in 2024 estimated at above-average level
The 2024 aggregate cereal production is officially estimated at about 5.9 million tonnes, approximately 16 percent above the last five-year average, reflecting generally favourable weather conditions and timely distribution of free seeds and subsidized fertilizers by the government. However, rainfall decifits and floods resulted in crop losses in some areas. Furthermore, civil insecurity constrained farmers’ access to their fields, especially in Tillabéri Region, which resulted in localized production shortfalls.
Prices of coarse grains near or below year-earlier levels
Wholesale prices of locally produced millet remained stable or increased by up to 15 percent between January and April 2025 in most monitored markets, while wholesale prices of local sorghum followed mixed trends during the same period. In April 2025, prices of both millet and sorghum were generally near or below their year-earlier levels, mostly due to the above-average 2024 cereal output as well as the impact of measures taken by the government to promote sustained and adequate domestic market supply, including those aimed at supporting regular cereal imports, an export ban on selected products and appeals to refrain from speculative activities.
About 2.22 million people acutely food insecure during 2025 lean season
According to the latest available Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis, about 2.22 million people (8 percent of the analyzed population) are projected to face acute food insecurity (CH Phase 3 [Crisis] and above) during the June to August 2025 lean season period, including over 115 000 people in Emergency (CH Phase 4). This represents a substantial improvement compared to the same period in 2024, when nearly 3.44 million people (13 percent of the analyzed population) were estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance, mainly due to the above-average 2024 cereal harvest and a decline in food and non‑food inflation.
Despite a significant decline in the number of violent incidents and fatalities in the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, conflict remains the key driver of acute food insecurity. Civil insecurity particularly affects the regions of Tillabéri, Diffa, Tahoua and Maradi, where it has severely disrupted livelihoods and markets, and triggered large-scale population displacements. In April 2025, approximately 507 000 people were estimated to be internally displaced, about 25 percent more than the previous year, with over 75 percent located in the regions of Tillabéri and Diffa.
Humanitarian needs are also high among refugees and asylum seekers hosted by the country, estimated at 432 000 as of April 2025, most of whom are from Nigeria and Mali.
Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
This brief was prepared using the following data/tools:
FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance Sheet (CCBS) https://www.fao.org/giews/data-tools/en/ .
FAO/GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool https://fpma.fao.org/ .
FAO/GIEWS Earth Observation for Crop Monitoring https://www.fao.org/giews/earthobservation/ .
Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) https://www.ipcinfo.org/ .