Questions A - Sy Martial Anasthase Traoré: 2018 outlook of cereal markets

Sy Martial Anasthase Traoré, Agrhymet/CILSS expert, presents the current situation and  2018 outlook of cereal markets in the Sahel and West Africa.

Cereal production for the 2017-18 agricultural campaign is estimated at 67.7 million tonnes, up 2.5% from the 2016-17 campaign and up 11.7% compared to the five-year average. However, poor rainfall led to significant decreases in certain countries compared to last year: Gambia (-29%), Burkina Faso (-11%), Guinea-Bissau (-7%) and Chad (-5.5%). The production of tubers and cash crops (groundnuts, cowpeas, soybeans, sesame) increased compared to last year and the five-year average. While markets are fairly well supplied, food prices remain higher compared to the five-year average. This is in part due to the depreciation of certain currencies and inflation.

The interview was conducted on the sidelines of the RPCA restricted meeting on 16 April 2018 at the OECD headquarters in Paris.