In 2013, Ethiopia's annual estimated postharvest losses were 1,158,342 tonnes for maize, 473,243 tonnes for teff, 455,912 tonnes for sorghum, 491,886 tonnes for wheat. The highest and lowest estimated postharvest loss percentages are 17.7% for maize and 2.1% for oats. The costliest estimated postharvest losses in USD are for maize: over 358 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 4,934,433 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 | 6,559,890 tonnes | 3,800,233 tonnes | 3,643,921 tonnes | 3,466,869 tonnes |
| Loss % | 17.7% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 14.2% |
| Losses in tonnes | 1,158,342 tonnes | 473,243 tonnes | 455,912 tonnes | 491,886 tonnes |
| Financial value | > 358 million USD | > 340 million USD | > 161 million USD | > 199 million USD |
| % of national agricultural GDP | 1.8% | 1.7% | 0.8% | 1.0% |
| # of people whose annual energy (kcal) requirements could have been met by the lost crop | 4,934,433 people | – | 1,818,750 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 ›