Crop Prospects and Food Situation, a quarterly publication by Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Markets and Trade Division, indicates that cereal output and import must both rise in Low-Income Food Deficit Countries.

The report, which was made available to the Ghana News Agency by the FAO, estimated that aggregate cereal production by the 51 Low-Income Food Deficit Countries rose 3.0 per cent in 2020 from the previous year to 502.4 million tonnes, as recoveries in Southern Africa and the Near East outweighed a decline in Central Africa.

It said, however, aggregate cereal import requirements by the group in the 2020/21 marketing year were expected to rise to 74.1 million tonnes, with the Far East and West Africa sub-regions posting the largest additional needs.

According to the report, early production outlooks for 2021 were broadly favourable, but drought-like conditions in Afghanistan and southern Madagascar were of emerging concern.

It assessed 45 countries to be in need of external assistance for food: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and Democratic Republic of Congo.

Others are; Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Niger, and Nigeria.

There rest: are Pakistan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.