Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
- Planting of 2025 cereal crops still underway
- Cereal production in 2024 estimated at above-average level
- Prices of cereals near or above year-earlier levels
- About 625 000 people acutely food insecure during 2025 lean season
Planting of 2025 cereal crops still underway
In southern and central bimodal rainfall areas, planting of the 2025 main season maize crop took place in March and April, while sowing of the 2025 rice, millet and sorghum crops is still ongoing. The first rainy season, normally extending from March to July, generally had a timely onset and was characterized by average to above-average rainfall amounts until mid-May, supporting planting operations and crop establishment.
In northern unimodal rainfall areas, the onset of the rainy season in April, followed by adequate precipitation amounts through mid-May, enabled a timely start of sowing and supported the establishment of early-planted cereal crops, mainly sorghum and millet. However, in northern areas of the Kara region and southern parts of the Savanes region, rainfall deficits have resulted in below-average vegetation conditions.
Civil insecurity is expected to continue to disrupt agricultural activities in parts of the Savanes region in 2025.
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), average to above-average cumulative rainfall amounts are generally expected between June and August, likely benefitting yields, while dry weather conditions are forecast in some coastal areas.
Cereal production in 2024 estimated at above-average level
The 2024 aggregate cereal production is officially estimated at about 1.5 million tonnes, near the 2023 level and approximately 8 percent above the average of the previous five years. The provision of agricultural inputs and tractors by the government supported an expansion in the area planted and boosted yields, offsetting the negative impact of adverse weather conditions on crops. Furthermore, in parts of the Savanes region, civil insecurity constrained farmers’ access to land, resulting in localized production shortfalls.
Prices of cereals near or above year-earlier levels
Retail prices of locally produced sorghum and maize remained mostly stable between November 2024 and March 2025. Prices of sorghum were near their year-earlier levels in March 2025, while prices of maize were up to 20 percent higher on a yearly basis across the country. The elevated prices of maize were mostly due to production shortfalls in several regions in 2024.
About 625 000 people acutely food insecure during 2025 lean season
According to the latest available Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis, about 625 000 people (10 percent of the analyzed population) are projected to be acutely food insecure (CH Phase 3 [Crisis]) during the June to August 2025 lean season period. This represents a deterioration compared to the same period in 2024, when about 423 000 people (7 percent of the analyzed population) were estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance. This deterioration is mainly due to the impact of dry spells, which resulted in crop losses across the country in 2024.
Approximately 35 percent of the people projected to face acute food insecurity is located in the Savanes region, where the government extended a state of emergency until March 2026 due to persistent civil insecurity. Attacks by non-state armed groups have been reported in the region since late 2021, disrupting livelihoods and leading to the internal displacement of about
10 200 people, as of March 2025. In addition, the Savanes region hosts the majority of the nearly 53 000 refugees and asylum seekers in the country, mostly from Burkina Faso, further straining local resources and increasing humanitarian needs.