In 2020, Rwanda's annual estimated postharvest losses were 73,192 tonnes for maize, 21,150 tonnes for sorghum, 15,423 tonnes for rice, 1,806 tonnes for wheat. The highest and lowest estimated postharvest loss percentages are 16.3% for maize and 12.4% for sorghum. The costliest estimated postharvest losses in USD are for maize: over 22 million USD.
Within the value chain the majority of loss is estimated to be happening at harvesting/field drying for maize, at harvesting/field drying for sorghum, at harvesting/field drying for rice, at household-level storage for wheat. Within Rwanda, the highest postharvest losses in tonnes occur for maize in Eastern, for sorghum in Eastern, for rice in Eastern, for wheat in Northern. Regarding the nutritional losses, the estimated maize grain lost postharvest could have met the annual energy (kcal) dietary requirements of 311,844 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 | Rice | Wheat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production quantity in tonnes | 448,632 tonnes | 170,489 tonnes | 116,503 tonnes | 12,811 tonnes |
| Loss % | 16.3% | 12.4% | 13.2% | 14.1% |
| Losses in tonnes | 73,192 tonnes | 21,150 tonnes | 15,423 tonnes | 1,806 tonnes |
| Financial value | > 22 million USD | – | > 13 million USD | – |
| % of national agricultural GDP | – | – | – | – |
| # of people whose annual energy (kcal) requirements could have been met by the lost crop | 311,844 people | 84,386 people | 64,987 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 ›