FAO GIEWS Country Brief on Lesotho –

FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT Heavy rains curb 2026 cereal production Increased import needs in 2026/27 Food inflation stable, supported by low cereal prices Reduced harvest limits improvements in acute food insecurity in 2026 Heavy rains curb 2026 cereal production Harvesting of the 2026 main season cereal crops concluded in June. Although final production data will be available in October, preliminary estimates indicate that cereal production in 2026 is likely to fall to a level about half the previous five‑year average, mainly due to a smaller maize harvest, the country's key food staple, driven by reductions in both the area planted and yields. This is attributed to periods of heavy rainfall in November 2025 as well as in February and April 2026, which reportedly caused waterlogging stress and curbed yields. The impact was particularly severe in the key maize‑producing district of Berea, where yields were assessed to be roughly half of last year's level. Sorghum production is also assessed to have fallen markedly, while wheat, grown mainly during the winter months between May and September, is forecast at an average level in 2026. In total, production of maize, sorghum and wheat is provisionally estimated at a below‑average 42 000 tonnes in 2026. Looking ahead to the 2026/27 cropping season, forecast El Niño conditions raise the risk of a delayed onset of seasonal rains and below‑average rainfall amounts which could constrain cereal production in 2027. Increased import needs in 2026/27 Although the reduced domestic harvest in 2026 is expected to increase import requirements, the cereal supply outlook in 2026/27 remains favourable, supported by ample exportable surpluses in the region. The country is structurally dependent on imports, even in years of good harvest, and benefits from well‑established trade links with South Africa, its main grain supplier. Maize import requirements for the 2026/27 marketing year (April/March) are estimated at an above‑average 130 000 tonn