Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
• Above-average cereal output estimated in 2022
• Area sown to 2023 maize crop forecast at above-average level
• Exports of cereals in 2022/23 forecast at near-record level
• Prices of yellow maize declined seasonally since August and lower year-on-year
Above-average cereal output estimated in 2022
Harvesting of the 2022 wheat crop was completed in mid-November and production is estimated at an above-average level of 1.06 million tonnes due to good yields. The planted area is estimated at an average level, which represents a rebound from the low levels of the previous three years, as farmers responded positively to the high domestic prices at planting time.
The 2022 aggregate cereal production is estimated at 8.2 million tonnes, more than 10 percent above the five-year average. This is mainly due to an expansion of maize sowings by farmers that experienced losses of soybean crops in the precedent season.
With slightly above-average yields, maize output in 2022 is officially estimated at a well above-average level of 6.2 million tonnes. By contrast, 2022 paddy production is estimated at 862 000 tonnes, more than 10 percent below the five-year average, as dry weather conditions at the end of 2021 severely curtailed yields.