Reference Date: 30-May-2024

Planting of 2024 maize underway

Planting operations of the 2024 maize crop, to be harvested from September, have recently started. Sowing of rice, millet and sorghum, to be harvested in October and November, is expected to begin in June. The latest weather forecast by the Forum on Seasonal Forecasts of Agro-hydro-climatic Characteristics of the Rainy Season for Sudanian and Sahelian Zones of West Africa (PRESASS) points to average to above-average cumulative rainfall amounts between June and August, which are expected to benefit germination and early development of crops.

Above-average cereal production in 2023

Harvesting operations of the 2023 cereal crops concluded last November. Aggregate 2023 cereal production is estimated at about 127 000 tonnes, 19 percent above the 2022 level and 28 percent higher than the average of the previous five years, reflecting a generally favourable rainfall distribution and an expansion of the planted area. Furthermore, the timely availability of fertilizers and its increased use boosted cereal yields.

Annual inflation rate still at high level

According to the Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS), the annual inflation rate eased to 15 percent in March 2024, after reaching a peak of 19 percent in September 2023. The high inflation largely reflects sustained high food prices, with the year-on-year food inflation rate estimated at 19.7 percent in March 2024, due to elevated prices of imported food and fuel, and the depreciation of the national currency. In March 2024, the dalasi was equivalent to GMD 67.9/USD 1 compared to GMD 61.7/USD 1 in March 2023. In addition, the rise in domestic utility tariffs contributed to the high level of inflation.

About 227 000 people projected to be acutely food insecure during the 2024 lean season

According to the latest Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis, nearly 227 000 people (9 percent of the analyzed population) are projected to face acute food insecurity (CH Phase 3 [Crisis] and above) during the next lean season, between June and August 2024, including about 1 600 people in CH Phase 4 (Emergency). This shows a significant decrease in the number of acutely food insecure people compared to the same period in 2023, when about 320 000 people (13 percent of the analyzed population) were estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance. The projected improvement of the situation is mainly due to an above-average cereal production harvested in 2023. Furthermore, positive prospects for national economic growth and enhanced income-earning opportunities are expected to improve households’ capacity to access food, despite high food inflation.

Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

This brief was prepared using the following data/tools:
FAO/GIEWS Country Cereal Balance Sheet (CCBS) https://www.fao.org/giews/data-tools/en/ .

FAO/GIEWS Food Price Monitoring and Analysis (FPMA) Tool https://fpma.fao.org/ .

FAO/GIEWS Earth Observation for Crop Monitoring https://www.fao.org/giews/earthobservation/ .

Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) https://www.ipcinfo.org/ .