Climate, Crops and Trade Overview

• Climate: In line with seasonal predictions, early rains and higher than usual rainfall was observed in most of the region. Notably, a tropical storm in the Horn of Africa region caused rains and flooding in parts of Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti. From the beginning of the season to the end of November, most parts of the region recorded wetter than normal conditions.

• Crops:  The Eastern Africa region is currently under different crop stages; harvest in the northern sub-region and planting to vegetative stages in equatorial and southern regions. Most crop regions are under favorable conditions as per November 2019 assessments due to above average rains experienced in most parts of the region. Excessive rainfall due to a tropical storm in the Horn of Africa has caused flooding and the impacts on crops will be established in December and January assessments.

• Trade: Regional trade was key in improving supply of grains, specifically maize, beans and rice in the urban markets in Kenya as domestic stocks remained low in most of the production regions. Trade between Uganda and Rwanda was still hampered by the ongoing disputes between the two countries. From October until the end of the year, grain prices are relatively stable as compared to the previous month. In Kenya, maize prices are expected to go down due to the harvest season, which will see increased supply to markets. Maize prices in Tanzania were still firmly high, owed to domestic demand and increased regional demand from the South African countries.