Reference Date: 18-March-2024

Cereal production in 2023 estimated at above‑average level

Harvesting operations of the 2023 coarse grain and irrigated rice crops concluded in December. Harvesting of the low‑lying area crops was completed in February 2024, while harvesting operations of the flood recession walo crops and off‑season rice are ongoing and expected to be concluded in April.

The 2023 aggregate cereal production is officially estimated at 564 000 tonnes, 4 percent higher on a yearly basis and 35 percent above the five‑year average, reflecting an increased output of irrigated rice mostly due to an expansion in the planted area and adequate supply of irrigation water. By contrast, in southern parts of the country, the production of rainfed coarse grain crops was affected by rainfall deficits and a reduction in planted area.

An erratic rainfall distribution, coupled with high temperatures, had an adverse impact on pastoral resources in northern and southeastern areas. This resulted in increased reliance on animal feed and an early internal transhumance, leading to high livestock concentration in southern areas, including Guidimakha and Brakna regions. In southeastern parts of Hodh Ech Chargui Region, the influx of Malian and returnee livestock breeders, who fled the escalating conflict in their country, has exacerbated pressure on pastoral resources. Furthermore, the numerous bushfires in southern regions of the country contributed to reducing grazing areas.

About 365 000 people projected to face acute food insecurity during 2024 lean season

According to the November 2023 Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis, nearly 365 000 people (about 8 percent of the analysed population) are projected to face acute food insecurity (CH Phase 3 [Crisis] and above) during the 2024 June to August lean season period, including about 7 100 people in CH Phase 4 (Emergency). This shows a substantial decrease in the number of acutely food insecure people compared to the same period of the previous year, when over 472 000 people (13 percent of the analysed population) were estimated to be in need of humanitarian asistance. The projected improvement is mostly due to an above‑average cereal production harvested in 2023.

As of January 2024, the country was hosting nearly 115 000 Malian refugees. About 85 percent of them is located in the M’bera refugee camp, which registered a 10 percent increase in the number of refugees since the last quarter of 2023, reaching 96 700 in January 2024. According to the World Food Programme, about 66 000 of the Malian refugees in the M’bera refugee camp are food insecure.

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/ .