The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitors trends in staple food prices in countries vulnerable to food insecurity. For each FEWSNET country and region, the Price Bulletin provides a set of charts showing monthly prices in the current marketing year in selected urban centers andallowing users to compare current trends with both five-year average prices, indicative of seasonal trends, and prices in the previous year. To learn moreabout markets in Southern Africa, consult the FEWS NET Regional Maize Market Fundamentals Summary Report.
Maize is the single most important cereal crop inSouthern Africa, accounting for almost 70% of total cerealproduction in the region. Most households in SouthernAfrica depend on maize (grain and meal/flour) for theirmain source of food and energy, with tubers (cassava),rice, wheat, sorghum, and millet serving as the mainsubstitutes. Madagascar is the exception, where rice(imported and local) is the main staple food consumedacross the country, with cassava and maize serving as keysubstitutes. Cassava is not traded in significant quantitiesacross Southern Africa, while beans are an import proteinsource with annual consumption ranging between 2 – 8kg on a per capita basis. Both white and yellow maize areproduced in the region, but South Africa is the onlycountry where yellow maize is grown in significantquantities, and it is primarily livestock used as livestockfeed. South Africa is also the region’s major producer ofmaize and is a major exporter to internationalmarkets. In years of relative maize surplus, sizableamounts of both formal and informal cross border tradeoccurs between neighboring countries. Maize trade flowsin the region largely reflect trade in white maize. For mostof Southern Africa, wheat grain is imported, milled, andconsumed primarily in the form of bread. While SouthAfrica produces substantial amounts of wheat, it is inquantities that are insufficient to meet domesticrequirements.
Source : Relief Web
