Real prices, taking into account inflation of approximately 16 percent per year, were actually below last year's prices. The decline in real cereal prices favors urban dwellers, increasing their purchasing power, and it could lead to increased food consumption, particularly for the poorest strata. Conversely, the price decline has probably had a negative impact on rural households, particularly those producing a surplus for the market. Poorer rural households may experience a decline in nutritional status, because their ability to diversify their consumption with purchased food items will be impaired. Households may also choose to switch their production away from food crops to industrial crops, such as cotton and tobacco.
Agricultural production continues to increase as more people return to the land.
Outside of a few commercial ventures producing cash crops, input use is very low. Smallholders generally save seed from one season to the next and make little use or fertilizer or animal traction. Despite the good main-season harvest at the national level, several areas will require assistance, primarily in the form of seeds, for the second season, which has now begun.