Preliminary Production Forecasts For West African Coastal Countries And Trade Prospects With The Sahel

Abstract

For the coastal countries along the Gulf of Guinea, the prospects for the 2003 cereal harvest are mixed. In Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia, the disturbances resulting from population displacements in the context of civil strife have worsened following insufficient and irregular rainfall. In general, less rainfall than average fell in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. In the two latter countries, where the secondary dry season of August began earlier than usual, a prolonged dry spell affected crop development, especially during the main cropping season. In Sierra Leone, potential reductions in yield will most likely be compensated by an increase in areas planted following the return of refugees and displaced farmers. Growing conditions on the whole were favourable in Benin, Cameroon, Guinea, Nigeria and Togo.