BAMAKO - Mali's grain output is expected to ‍rise ‍to 11.4 million metric ​tons in the 2025/26 farming season, from ⁠11 million tons in the previous ⁠year, according to preliminary ‌figures from the agriculture ministry seen by Reuters on ⁠Tuesday.

 

Mali is West Africa's second-largest cereals producer and exporter after Nigeria, with maize and rice ⁠together accounting for more ​than 60% of total production, followed by millet ‍and sorghum, according to the ministry.

The ​agricultural season runs from April to April, with a production phase that starts in May or June and ends in September or October.

The ministry said last year that 2025/26 output would reach 11.6 million tons on ⁠expectations of good ‌rainfall.

Forecasts for the 2026/27 season are not yet available.