The 2012 harvest was, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock national food balance sheet estimates, a major surplus production season. However, by November the same year, Zambia started experiencing widespread maize meal shortages and skyrocketing maize meal prices. Responding to...

Millions of smallholder farm households in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are net consumers of staple crops, and millions of poor urban households spend a significant share of their income purchasing staple foods. Recent research has underscored the major effects of changes in food prices on poverty,...

When food prices shoot over import parity, this often leads to social and political unrest and even the toppling of governments. If markets behaved efficiently and in the absence of trade barriers, food prices should not exceed the price in world markets plus the cost of importing it to domestic...

The marketing year 2009/10 is characterized by exceptionally high prices for coarse grains compared to last year. Facts contributing to these increase are studied.

Recognizing that science and technology research (S&T) is one of many inputs into the broader development process, USAID/Mali, via its Initiative to End Hunger in Africa, requested an assessment of the current S&T situation in Mali. USAID asked the assessment team to produce a comprehensive...

Reports (in French) on Stakeholders' Market Information Needs to Engage in Regional Trade. Guinea

The 2005 – 2006 marketing campaign was difficult because of the drought that occurred in all countries in the region. As a result, the price of sorghum, millet, maize and rice soared. State actions to improve cereals supply through tax-exempt rice imports did not achieve the expected outcomes....

Calculation of maize and rice parity prices in Mali.