In 2015, Ethiopia's annual estimated postharvest losses were 1,347,110 tonnes for maize, 601,998 tonnes for teff, 605,896 tonnes for wheat, 531,107 tonnes for sorghum. 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 teff: over 384 million USD, which corresponds to 1.7% 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 household-level storage for wheat, at harvesting/field drying for sorghum. Within Ethiopia, the highest postharvest losses in tonnes occur for maize in Oromia, for teff in Oromia, for wheat in Oromia, for sorghum in Oromia. Regarding the nutritional losses, the estimated maize grain lost postharvest could have met the annual energy (kcal) dietary requirements of 5,738,571 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 | Wheat | Sorghum | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production quantity in tonnes | 7,631,365 tonnes | 4,802,450 tonnes | 4,271,131 tonnes | 4,238,705 tonnes |
| Loss % | 17.7% | 12.5% | 14.2% | 12.5% |
| Losses in tonnes | 1,347,110 tonnes | 601,998 tonnes | 605,896 tonnes | 531,107 tonnes |
| Financial value | > 300 million USD | > 384 million USD | > 294 million USD | > 126 million USD |
| % of national agricultural GDP | 1.3% | 1.7% | 1.3% | 0.5% |
| # of people whose annual energy (kcal) requirements could have been met by the lost crop | 5,738,571 people | – | – | 2,118,721 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 ›