Maize Price Stabilized – FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says the country’s maize prices have remained stable.

According to its November report, retail prices of maize grain have remained generally stable since the start of the harvest in April 2020, rising by only 9 percent in the months up to October, compared to 39 percent in the same period in 2019.

On a yearly basis, retail prices were also lower, owing to the adequate supply situation.

The report also indicates that the prices were generally higher in southern districts compared to the markets in the centre and north, reflecting the lower levels of production in the south.

FAO has also stated that although cereal production increased in 2020, the effects of the COVID‑19 pandemic have driven up the current rates of food insecurity.

It says cereal production in 2020 is estimated at 4.1 million tones, 26 percent higher than the five-year average.

However, it says prevalence of food insecurity increased due to effects of COVID‑19 as 2.6 million people are estimated to be food insecure and in need of humanitarian assistance until March 2021.

The national figure marks a deterioration compared to the previous year, when 1.8 million people in the rural areas were assessed to be food insecure.

FAO has again said the purchases of maize by the government to buffer domestic strategic reserves have so far fallen short of the targets.

The development FAO says could limit the government to provide subsidized maize during the lean period.