in foe;{] prcducticn in 1981 \las entirely attributable to non- cereal food production (livestock products, pulses and roots and tubers) a1thcuqh a decrease \>Jas recorded for veqetahle ci1. The qrc,..;th rate in cereals remained steady in both 1980 and 1981. Hithin the cereal qrcup, the decrease in the qro..,lth rates for millet and rice vas r.~ore tl1an offset by the increase in maize production. In Burundi, requ1ar rainfall throuqhout the year helped tc boost f ocxl production frcm 8, 387,600 toP.nes i r: 1980 to ll,G07,800 tonr.es ir, 1981, em.h1ir1q the country to reduce its im­ purts of fcoc! crops ry about 5.2 per cent. Over the same pericd, fccx:l productior. ir; H'V.anda rose from 4,431,100 tor.r:es to 5,359,500 tonnes. Ir1 additicn, the cultivated area for food crops in-, creased from 919,100 hectares to 1,020,300 hectares, while productivity per hectare imprc;.ved from 4.2 to 5.3 tonr;es per hec­ tare. 3. Focd impcrts 25. Between 1970 ar.d 1980 (tlle latest year fc·r which data are av<.li1al·le), the value oi major cereal impc,rt::; tc· developiiq Jl.frica ir'creased at a ccmpcur:d averaqe annual rate of 25.1 per ceLt, vJhile the volume of imports increased hy 12.2 per cer·t an­ l!ually (see t<.tbles IV.J\.4 aloe! IV.A.G). A siqPificar.t share cf the rise in value stemme{! from increased prices. 35 E/ECA/CM 9/5 Table IV.A..4 Value of cereal imports to developino Africa (Millions of US dollars) 1970 Central l~frica a./ 59.3 Eastern Africa ~I lll. 3 North Africa 2ll. 7 1 West Africa 149.8 Developi r;q Africa 532.1 2 1975 157.7 378.6 731.1 2 387.7 1 073.1 4 Averaqe annual qro..~th rates 1970-1980 1980 (Percentaqe) 314.3 14.7 828.1 22.2 617.4 28.6 228.9 23.4 988.7 25.1 -----------------------------------------------------------------Source: FAO secretariat. ~/ Excludinq Equatorial Guinea. b/ Excludi nq Dj ibcuti, Lesotho and Seychelles. 26. \ihent retained its domirar;t position, althouqh its share in 
**Analysis**
The text appears to be discussing the agricultural sector in Burundi, including production, imports, and trade of cereals and other food products. It also mentions the impact of rainfall on crop production and the country's ability to reduce its imports. The text includes statistical data and tables, which suggests that it is focused on economic and agricultural issues.

**Category**
Agriculture, forestry and fishing, International trade