In 2005, Ethiopia's annual estimated postharvest losses were 1,770,851 tonnes for wheat, 657,920 tonnes for maize, 321,147 tonnes for sorghum, 279,423 tonnes for teff. The highest and lowest estimated postharvest loss percentages are 16.3% for maize and 2.1% for oats. The costliest estimated postharvest losses in USD are for wheat: over 406 million USD.
Within the value chain, for all crops the majority of loss is estimated to be happening at harvesting/field drying. Within Ethiopia, the highest postharvest losses in tonnes occur for wheat in Oromia, for maize in Oromia, for sorghum in Amara, for teff in Oromia. Regarding the nutritional losses, the estimated maize grain lost postharvest could have met the annual energy (kcal) dietary requirements of 2,802,681 people.
To view the list of studies used to estimate these losses, please see the References tab.
Top 4 crops with the highest production quantity in tonnes.
| Wheat | Maize | Sorghum | Teff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production quantity in tonnes | 14,139,788 tonnes | 4,031,275 tonnes | 2,576,445 tonnes | 2,247,500 tonnes |
| Loss % | 12.5% | 16.3% | 12.5% | 12.4% |
| Losses in tonnes | 1,770,851 tonnes | 657,920 tonnes | 321,147 tonnes | 279,423 tonnes |
| Financial value | > 406 million USD | > 111 million USD | > 56 million USD | > 85 million USD |
| % of national agricultural GDP | – | – | – | – |
| # of people whose annual energy (kcal) requirements could have been met by the lost crop | – | 2,802,681 people | 1,281,136 people | – |
See full postharvest losses data tables with loss percentage › | losses in tonnes › | losses in USD › | nutritional losses ›
See full value chain data table with estimated losses in percentage › | tonnes › | USD ›