In 2006, Ethiopia's annual estimated postharvest losses were 737,550 tonnes for maize, 360,303 tonnes for sorghum, 317,939 tonnes for wheat, 296,522 tonnes for teff. The highest and lowest estimated postharvest loss percentages are 16.4% for maize and 2.1% for oats. The costliest estimated postharvest losses in USD are for maize: over 124 million USD, which corresponds to 1.9% of national agricultural GDP.
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 maize in Oromia, for sorghum in Amara, for wheat in Oromia, for teff in Oromia. Regarding the nutritional losses, the estimated maize grain lost postharvest could have met the annual energy (kcal) dietary requirements of 3,141,898 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.
| Maize | Sorghum | Wheat | Teff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production quantity in tonnes | 4,509,440 tonnes | 2,880,749 tonnes | 2,524,243 tonnes | 2,385,050 tonnes |
| Loss % | 16.4% | 12.5% | 12.6% | 12.4% |
| Losses in tonnes | 737,550 tonnes | 360,303 tonnes | 317,939 tonnes | 296,522 tonnes |
| Financial value | > 124 million USD | > 65 million USD | > 95 million USD | > 121 million USD |
| % of national agricultural GDP | 1.9% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 1.9% |
| # of people whose annual energy (kcal) requirements could have been met by the lost crop | 3,141,898 people | 1,437,339 people | – | – |
See full postharvest losses data tables with loss percentage › | losses in tonnes › | losses in USD › | financial impact › | nutritional losses ›
See full value chain data table with estimated losses in percentage › | tonnes › | USD ›