FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
After several years of steady growth, rice production is estimated to have dropped by 8 percent in 2014 due to Ebola Virus Disease outbreak
Cereal import requirements in 2015 are, therefore, estimated to increase compared to last year's level
Trade activities have declined significantly across the country, particularly in quarantined districts
Number of food insecure people estimated at about 450 000 people as of December 2014, is projected to increase to 610 000 by March 2015
Ebola Virus Disease outbreak severely affected agricultural production
Harvesting of the 2014 main rice crop was completed in December. The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak resulted in a serious shock to the agriculture and food sectors in 2014. The epidemic started to spread when crops were being planted and grew during the crop maintenance period, and then expanded rapidly during the critical harvesting period for the staple rice, maize and cassava crops. Various farming activities, including crop maintenance (such as weeding, fencing and application of chemicals) and harvesting have been disrupted mostly through labour shortages. Production of rice, the main staple crop in the Mano River Region, has been most affected. Based on the GIEWS Disease Impact on Agriculture – Simulation (DIAS) Model and the findings of Rapid Assessments carried out in the country, the aggregate food crop production in 2014 is estimated at 2.09 million tonnes (including cassava in cereal equivalent and rice in milled terms), which is 5 percent lower than the record harvest of 2013. Of this total, milled rice production (using the milling rate of 66.7 percent) is estimated at 770 000 tonnes, 8 percent lower than the year before and accounts for about 85 percent of the cereal production. Total coarse grains (maize, sorghum, millets and other small grains) and cassava in cereal equivalent (32 percent of fresh weight) are estimated to have declined by 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively. The relatively low level of impact at the national level masks the sub-national production and food security impacts. For example, impact on rice production is estimated as high as -17 percent in Kailahun.
