Reference Date: 07-February-2023

Outputs of sweet potatoes, cassava and plantains estimated at near‑average levels in 2022

Agriculture contributes to only about 2 percent of the Gross domestic product (GDP), reflecting the predominance of the petroleum industry. The agricultural land covers about 284 000 hectares, about 10 percent of the total country area. Of these, about 180 000 hectares are used for the cultivation of staple foods such as cassava, sweet potatoes, plantains, groundnuts and bananas, and the rest of the area is planted with permanent crops and cash crops (cocoa, coffee, coconut and fruit trees). Other staple foods are chicken meat, wheat flour and rice, which are largely imported.

According to FAOSTAT, in 2021 (last available data), the production of sweet potatoes, cassava and plantains amounted to near‑average levels of about 100 000 tonnes, 73 700 tonnes and 41 000 tonnes, respectively. Following overall conducive weather conditions during the growing season, the production of these crops is likely to remain at near‑average levels in 2022.

Food imports estimated slightly above average in 2022

The country imports about 70 percent of its food consumption needs, mostly through commercial channels, as it produces only a limited quantity of food. In 2022, with a population of about 1.6 million, imports of wheat and rice are estimated at slightly above‑average levels of 25 000 tonnes and 30 000 tonnes, respectively.

Inflation rate increased in 2022

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the average inflation rate was about 1.2 percent in 2019 and it increased to about 5 percent in 2020, due to disruptions of the global trade supply chain amid the COVID‑19 pandemic, constraints on domestic production capacity and the depreciation of the national currency. After a drop to zero in 2021, the inflation rate bumped back to 5 percent in 2022, due to the increase of international prices for food commodities.

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/ .