1 percent of total consumption. FAOSTAT data show that
SSA grain imports grew sharply, starting in the early 1980s,
to 24 million tons in 2007, valued at US$7 billion and accounting
for 26 percent of total grain consumption. Net imports are
estimated to have increased more than fourfold over the past
two decades, from an average of 5 million tons in 1990s to 23
million in 2007 period. When North Africa is included, net imports
rise to 48 million tons. Wheat accounted for about half of
grain imports throughout the last 40 years, and rice about one
third. Maize, which was an occasional export commodity in
the 1960s, now represents about 15 percent of grain imports.
Food represents about 10–20 percent of consumer spending
in developed countries and as much as 60–80 percent in
developing countries; in SSA, household spending on food
constitutes more than 60 percent of income. Crop production
remains the principal source of income for households
in SSA—roughly 70 percent on average, of which grain crops
(predominantly maize, sorghum, millet, and rice) account for
about 37 percent of total household income, while non-crop
income averages about 30 percent of total income (Table 2.2).
This proportion is close to the fi gure reported by Reardon