| Area: | 124 320 sq.km |
| Climate: | Highland areas: tropical wet/dry with unreliable rains. Lowlands: semi-arid to arid |
| Population: | 2.82 million (1997 estimate); G.N.P. per caput: n.a. |
| Specific characteristics of the country: | Low-income food-deficit country |
| Logistics: | Roads inadequate, gateway to northern Ethiopia |
| Major foodcrops: | Sorghum, teff, millet, maize, pulses |
| Marketing year: | January/December; Lean season: August-November |
| Share of cereals in total calorie intake: | 73 percent |
CURRENT SITUATION
Prospects for the 1997 main season cereal crops, to be harvested from November, have deteriorated following dry spells in September in most growing areas. Precipitation in the first dekad of October was insufficient and late to substantially improve the situation. Provisional forecasts point to a 1997 cereal crop at the same reduced level of the past two years.
Prices of cereals, which had increased steadily from April, continued to rise in the past month reflecting dwindling stocks. With anticipated below-average cereal harvest for the third consecutive year and substantially lower export availabilities from neighbouring Ethiopia, the country’s food supply situation is expected to further tighten in 1998. The food security of large sections of the population, who even in normal years do not cover their subsistence requirements, is likely to deteriorate.
|
Wheat |
Rice |
Coarse grains |
Total |
|
|
1996 Production |
10 |
- |
122 |
132 |
|
1997 Utilization |
156 |
- |
265 |
421 |
|
Food use |
155 |
- |
240 |
395 |
|
Non-food use |
1 |
- |
25 |
26 |
|
Stock build up |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
1997 Import Requirement |
146 |
- |
143 |
289 |
|
Anticipated commercial imports |
70 |
- |
50 |
120 |
|
Food aid needs |
76 |
- |
93 |
169 |
|
Current Aid Position | ||||
|
Food aid pledges |
74 |
- |
4 |
78 |
|
of which: Delivered |
33 |
- |
- |
33 |
|
Estimated per caput consumption (kg/year) |
55 |
- |
85 |
140 |
|
Indexes | ||||
|
1996 production as % of normal: | ||||
|
1997 import requirement as % of normal: | ||||
|
1997 food aid requirement as % of normal (including refugee needs): | ||||
