FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
-
Estimates of 2011/12 cereal crops production point to below average levels
-
Maize prices decline, since June, but remain at high levels
-
Overall, food security is satisfactory
Despite good prospects for the “vuli” harvest, aggregate cereal output expected to drop in 2011
In bimodal areas, harvesting of 2011/12 “vuli” season crops is about to start and prospects are good due to favourable weather conditions. Above average yields are expected in Arusha, Mara and Tanga regions where abundant and well distributed rains benefitted crop development. In uni-modal rainfall areas, planting of 2012 “msimu” season crops (to be harvested from May) started from mid-November and is complete. At the end of December, torrential rains over large part of the northern coast, especially over Dar es Salaam and Pwani regions, resulted in fatalities and infrastructure damage
Aggregate cereal production in 2011/12 is tentatively set at 5.7 million tonnes, about 7 percent below 2010 bumper harvest and 3 percent less than the last five year’s average. Adverse weather conditions affected the “masika” and “misimu” season crops harvested between May and August 2011. Import requirements for 2011/12 marketing year (July/June) are set at a high of 740 000 tonnes, including 600 000 tonnes of wheat, about 100 000 tonnes of rice and some maize.