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Guinea-Bissau

GIEWS Country Brief: Guinea-Bissau 18-June-2018

Attachments

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

  • Late arrival of rains delayed planting of 2018 cereal crop

  • Abundant but poorly-distributed rainfall adversely affected 2017 cereal crop production

  • Cereal import requirement about same as last year

  • Increased cashew revenue offsets impact of higher international prices of rice

Late arrival of rains delayed planting of 2018 cereal crop

Seasonal rains started two weeks late in May, delaying planting operations of maize, millet and sorghum, for harvesting from September. Abundant rains are expected in the coming weeks replenishing soil moisture and improving planting conditions and crop prospects.

Land preparation for rice, the major cereal crop produced in the country, is ongoing and planting operations are about to start for the harvest to be completed in January.

Cereal import requirements maintained to offset slight decrease in production

The 2017 agricultural season was characterized by near-average rainfall. Due to localized flooding between July and September 2017 that negatively affected crop development and the harvest, the national cereal production was estimated at 210 000 tonnes, about 6 percent lower than the last season’s output and 5 percent below the five-year average. The major decline was observed in the production of rice.

Imports account for over 45 percent of the national cereal utilization in the country. Rice accounts for about 80 percent of the import requirements, followed by wheat, which accounts for about 15 percent. Despite a slight decline in total domestic production compared to the previous year, import requirements for the 2017/18 (November/October) marketing year are expected to decrease slightly compared to the previous year, but remain almost one-fourth above the average.

Increased cashew revenue offset impact of higher prices of international rice

The country is the second largest exporter of raw cashew nuts, which accounts for more than 90 percent of its export revenue. It is an important source of income for the most poor rural households as they often barter the product for imported rice supplied by cashew traders. The cashew farmers tend to sell their excess rice bartered from cashew nuts on the local markets to earn income, enabling them to fulfill other food and non-food expenditures. The farmgate price of cashew nuts is relatively stable at XOF 1 000 (USD 1.77) per kg from 2017. The cashew farmers are now earning higher income from 2017 enabling them to purchase imported food products.

Continued assistance still needed for vulnerable people

A political and institutional stalemate has prevailed in the country for more than two years, affecting economic activities and increasing the vulnerability of the local population. However, since the reappointment of the United Nations Integrated Office in Guinea-Bissau (BINUGBIS) on 28 February, some improvements have been reported. Despite the poor port, road and telecommunication infrastructure which hampered the implementation of planned food distribution, WFP assisted about 174 000 people with 300 tonnes of food in April 2018. The stability in the prices of cashew in 2018 has led to a good production that supported the income of producers and improved their access to staple food. The overall food situation has improved compared to previous years and, according to the March 2018 “Cadre Harmonisé” analysis, about 12 000 people are estimated to be in need of food assistance from March to May 2018 compared to 32 500 people from October to December 2017. This number is expected to decline to 5 000 during the June to August period due to good the income from the sales of cashew, stable market prices and favourable cashew/rice terms of trade (1 kg cashew nuts for 4 kg of rice).

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