Ethiopia, Sorghum, 2021

Ethiopia's estimated postharvest losses for sorghum in 2021 was 456,992 tonnes or 12.5% which had an estimated value of more than 203 million US dollar.

As for nutrition 1,549 billion kcal were lost, which is the equivalent of more than 1 million people, in terms of annual nutritional dietary energy requirements. In the value chain, the majority of the loss is estimated to be happening at Harvesting/field drying, Threshing and Shelling, and then Household-level storage. Highest estimated postharvest maize losses in tonnes were estimated to occur in Oromia.

To view the list of studies used to estimate these losses, please see the References tab.

Production quantity and estimated postharvest losses

Production quantity (tonnes)
Estimated postharvest losses (tonnes)

2011–2021
2011	4000137
2012	3983772
2013	3643921
2014	3841678
2015	4238705
2016	4351245
2017	4786205
2018	5263483
2019	3652267
2020	3652267

Produced	3,652,267 tonnes
Estimated postharvest losses	12.5% / 456,992 tonnes / > 203 million USD

Production quantity	Estimated postharvest losses
87.4874 Production quantity: 3,652,267 tonnes	12.5 Estimated PHL: 456,992 tonnes

See full postharvest losses data table with estimated losses in percentage › | tonnes › | USD ›

Value chain

Production quantity and estimated postharvest losses in % per value chain step. Please note that once loss has occurred at harvesting, the percentage loss in the next stage is a percentage of what remained, not of the original amount.

Estimated % of crop left
Estimated % of crop lost

	Amount remaining(%)	Estimated postharvest loss(%)
Production	100 Remaining: 100% Est. PHL: 0%	0 Remaining: 100% Est. PHL: 0%
Harvesting/field drying	95.45 Remaining: 95.45% Est. PHL: 4.55%	4.55 Remaining: 95.45% Est. PHL: 4.55%
Threshing and Shelling	91.85 Remaining: 91.85% Est. PHL: 3.6%	3.6 Remaining: 91.85% Est. PHL: 3.6%
Winnowing	91.85 Remaining: 91.85% Est. PHL: 0%	0 Remaining: 91.85% Est. PHL: 0%
Transport from field	89.68333 Remaining: 89.68333% Est. PHL: 2.16667%	2.16667 Remaining: 89.68333% Est. PHL: 2.16667%
Household-level storage	86.96621 Remaining: 86.96621% Est. PHL: 2.71712%	2.71712 Remaining: 86.96621% Est. PHL: 2.71712%
Transport to market	85.96621 Remaining: 85.96621% Est. PHL: 1%	1 Remaining: 85.96621% Est. PHL: 1%
Market storage	83.31621 Remaining: 83.31621% Est. PHL: 2.65%	2.65 Remaining: 83.31621% Est. PHL: 2.65%

See full value chain data table with estimated losses in percentage › | tonnes › | USD ›

Nutrition

Number of people whose annual dietary requirements (in terms of energy, kcal) could have been met by consuming the sorghum that was lost postharvest, and what % of the focal group of the population this number equates to.

Total number

1,823,059

people, 1.7%

Children 1-3

4,304,659

children, 46.3%

Pregnant women 19-30

1,558,148

women, 162.3%

Men 31-50

1,379,394

men, 13.6%

See full nutritional impact data for Children 1–3 › | Pregnant women 19–30 › | Men 31–50 ›