Reference Date: 09-January-2026

Rice production in 2025 preliminarily forecast at above‑average level

Harvesting of the 2025 paddy crop, virtually the only cereal grown in the country, was completed in December 2025. The 2025 rainy season was characterized by a generally favourable start in March with near‑ to above‑average precipitation amounts recorded through April, supporting planting operations and crop germination in most regions. However, according to satellite‑based data, rainfall amounts between May and August were near or below the long‑term average and several dry spells affected crops in areas across the country. Precipitation amounts generally improved between September and October, allowing for a partial recovery of vegetation conditions. In Grand Bassa, Margibi, Montserrado and Sinoe counties, heavy rains triggered flooding that resulted in localized crop losses in 2025.

Rice production in 2025 was boosted by enhanced governmental support to farmers under the 2024‑2030 Liberians Feed Yourselves Agenda. A key expected output of the programme is the development of 50 000 hectares of lowland areas for irrigated rice production in Lofa, Nimba and Bong counties over a period of five years. In 2025, the government provided farmers with cash for land preparation activities, agricultural inputs and access to mechanization services, and equipment, enabling them to expand the area planted and benefiting yields.

Official preliminary forecasts, presented during the November 2025 meeting of the Regional Food Crisis Prevention and Management Mechanism (PREGEC) in the Sahel, West Africa, and Cameroon, place aggregate 2025 paddy production at about 322 000 tonnes, approximately 7 percent above the average of the previous five years.

About 418 000 people acutely food insecure between October and December 2025

According to the latest Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis, approximately 418 000 people (7 percent of the analysed population) were estimated to be facing acute food insecurity (CH Phase 3 [Crisis]) between October and December 2025. Early CH projections indicate that this number is expected to rise to about 506 000 people (9 percent of the analysed population) during the June to August 2026 lean season period.

According to the 2025 Comprehensive Food Security and Nutrition Survey, the most frequent shocks reported by households in 2025 include the death of a working household member, floods, a chronic illness of a household member, lack or loss of employment and food price volatility.

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/ .