KEY POINTS
-
Food situation remains good in the region with new harvests. The off season crop campaign in the region is ongoing.
-
Niger recorded a forage production deficit.
-
Locust infestation decreased in December in the areas affected by recent resurgences in Mauritania.
-
The FAO food price index dropped for the fifth consecutive year.
The agro pastoral prospects are globally positive in West Africa and in the Sahel, causing an increase of supply and a seasonal decline of prices across most of the region’s markets.
In Cameroon, the 2016 cereal production showed an overall decrease compared to the previous campaign, particularly in the Extreme-North region (-25 percent) as a result of the Boko Haram crisis.
The start of the off-season crop campaign in the region could contribute to the improvement of product availability as observed during the main season.
With the exception of Niger, the livestock farming conditions in the region is characterized by pastures that are still overall well supplied and water point levels that favor better livestock conditions. Niger recorded a general fodder production deficit; the pastoral situation requires more attention during this year.