In 2009, Ethiopia's annual estimated postharvest losses were 763,799 tonnes for maize, 381,715 tonnes for teff, 355,533 tonnes for sorghum, 369,253 tonnes for wheat. The highest and lowest estimated postharvest loss percentages are 17.6% for maize and 2.1% for oats. The costliest estimated postharvest losses in USD are for teff: over 272 million USD, which corresponds to 1.8% of national agricultural GDP.
Within the value chain the majority of loss is estimated to be happening at harvesting/field drying for maize, at harvesting/field drying for teff, at harvesting/field drying for sorghum, at household-level storage for wheat. Within Ethiopia, the highest postharvest losses in tonnes occur for maize in Oromia, for teff in Oromia, for sorghum in Oromia, for wheat in Oromia. Regarding the nutritional losses, the estimated maize grain lost postharvest could have met the annual energy (kcal) dietary requirements of 3,253,715 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 | Teff | Sorghum | Wheat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production quantity in tonnes | 4,341,097 tonnes | 3,066,073 tonnes | 2,838,635 tonnes | 2,608,542 tonnes |
| Loss % | 17.6% | 12.4% | 12.5% | 14.2% |
| Losses in tonnes | 763,799 tonnes | 381,715 tonnes | 355,533 tonnes | 369,253 tonnes |
| Financial value | > 219 million USD | > 272 million USD | > 107 million USD | > 178 million USD |
| % of national agricultural GDP | 1.5% | 1.8% | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| # of people whose annual energy (kcal) requirements could have been met by the lost crop | 3,253,715 people | – | 1,418,313 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 ›