- A lack of moisture in some regions of northwest Africa is likely to reduce grain yields in 2024.
- In Morocco, yields are expected to be up to 25 % below the average of the last five years.
- Elsewhere in Africa, projected yields do not differ significantly from the average.
- For Tunisia, grain yields are forecast to increase by up to 10 % due to favorable weather conditions.
Drought in North Africa
Some countries in western North Africa are suffering from drought, particularly large parts of Morocco and the north-western regions of Algeria. The reports are worrying in the context of the forecasts of the European agency MARS (Monitoring Agricultural ResourceS). They predict a significant drop in grain yields in these regions of the continent – in Morocco, the wheat harvest will be almost 24% below the average of the last five years, and the barley harvest is also expected to be 25% lower.
Situation in the rest of Africa
In the rest of Africa, fluctuations in the expected harvest volume are between 1-3% in most areas. Above-average yields are forecast in many places. Favorable harvest conditions prevail in Egypt.
On the central and eastern coast of Algeria, heavy rainfall in February and intensive irrigation have enabled crops to recover from the earlier drought – yields will be slightly above average. Similar forecasts apply to the north-eastern region of Libya, while in the west of the country crop growth was hampered by the heat in April.
The richest harvest this year is expected in Tunisia – an even distribution of rainfall in late February and early March and high temperatures ensured rapid plant development, leading to above-average yield forecasts – for wheat by almost 10 % and for barley by more than 3 %.
