FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
- Favourable crop conditions across country
- Wheat output in 2019 estimated at above‑average level
- Cereal import requirements in 2019/20 forecast below average volume
Favourable crop conditions across country
Planting of the 2020 winter wheat crops, to be harvested from June, finalized by mid‑November 2019 over an area officially set at 690 000 hectares, below the previous year’s level and the five‑year average. The contraction in wheat plantings is reported to be in favour of more profitable cotton cultivation.
Planting of the 2020 maize crops, to be harvested from August, started in April under favourable weather conditions. According to remote sensing data, crop conditions in mid‑April were favourable across the country (see ASI map).
Wheat output in 2019 estimated at above‑average level
Harvesting of the 2019 cereal crops, mainly wheat, was completed last September and the 2019 aggregate cereal production is estimated at 1.8 million tonnes, about 25 percent above the five‑year average. The 2019 wheat output is estimated at a bumper level of 1.6 million tonnes, 30 percent above average due to adequate and well distributed precipitations during the growing period, which boosted yields.
Cereal import requirements in 2019/20 forecast below average volume
Total cereal import requirements for the 2019/20 marketing year (July/June) are forecast at 183 000 tonnes, well below the record high level reached in 2018/19 of 512 000 tonnes and about 10 percent below the five‑year average. Wheat imports, mainly sourced from Kazakhstan, are forecast at a below‑average level of 150 000 tonnes, reflecting adequate domestic supplies due to the 2019 above‑average production.
COVID‑19 and measures adopted by the Government
In response to the COVID‑2019 pandemic, on 20 March 2020, the Governmentrestricted entrance in the country to non‑nationals, introduced social distancing measures and established body temperature control points along the main roads.
On 31 March 2020, the Government and the UN Country Office launched the Country Preparedness and Response Plan (CPRP) on COVID‑19 to identify preparedness and prevention measures and mitigate the social and economic impact of the outbreak in the country. On 15 April 2020, a working group was established to discuss measures to assist vulnerable groups of the population as well as to provide financial support to small and medium‑sized enterprises.
Source: relief web