World: Crop Monitor for Early Warning | No. 46 – February 2020
Overview: In East Africa, harvest is complete for main season cereals in the north of the subregion and yields were favourable except in Sudan and South Sudan due to flood damage, socioeconomic impacts, and conflict, and parts of Ethiopia due to dry conditions early in the season and to a lesser extent desert locust.
In the south of the subregion, harvest is complete for second season crops and yields were generally average despite unprecedented flooding caused from record October to December rains. In West Africa, harvest of main season sorghum and millet is complete across the Sahel and yields were generally average except in Gambia and conflict affected areas. In the Middle East and North Africa, winter cereals are favourable due to good precipitation throughout the start of the season except in central Morocco
where early season dryness continues to impact crops. In Southern Africa, there is concern for main season maize and sorghum crops across much of the central and south due to dry conditions from poor October to December rainfall and below-average rainfall forecast for February. In Central and South Asia, winter cereals, to be harvested from May 2020, are in dormancy stage
and developing under generally favourable conditions. In Southeast Asia, wet-season rice harvest is complete and final yields were mixed due to early season drought damage in June and July followed by flood damage after August. Dry-season rice sowing is underway with some concern due to carryover dry conditions from the previous season. In Central America and the Caribbean, harvest is complete for Segunda season crops and yields are average due to abundant and well-distributed rainfall.
