to meet the ··rowinq food needs of their populaticPs. They can. This becomes clear if account is taken of the fact that over-all focd production car:acity is the appropriate "Supply variable that influences the level of cereal inports. 36 E/ECA/CM.9/5 Table IV.A.S Breakdo,.rn of cereal imports to develcpino Africa, 1980 Ce r~tral Africa Ar.qcla U1~ited Republic of Zaire Others Volume (Ters of tcnnes) 102 240 30 ?45 Caraerocn 13 390 40 500 18 105 Eastern a r..d southern Africa 336 397 Ethiopia 42 G23 Kenya 38 811 Mozambique 41 ?.75 United Republic cf Ta nza r,ia 38 S39 Zambia 49 900 Others 125 149 North Africa 1 270 516 Alqeria 29/. 178 Eqypt 602 277 t-iorocco 182 084 Others 193 477 \;est Africa 379 523 Ivory Coast 42 030 Niqeria 176 190 Seneqal 42 055 Others 119 248 Dt:!Ve l OfJ i nq Africa 2 088 676 Share cf total (Perce ntaoe} 4.90 1.45 0.64 1.94 0.87 16.11 2.04 1.86 1. 98 1.85 2.39 5.99 60.83 13.99 28.86 8.72 9. 26 18.17 2.01 8.44 2.01 5.71 lfiO.OO ----------------------------------------------------------------Source: Fi\0 Trade Yearbcck 198C (Rc,me, FAO, 1981). 29. Ir. a larae r.ur:;ber of Africar ccurtries, imports of fccd- qrains have beer, risinq at ar. alanr.ir:a rate -a trer:d which qO!::?s aqairst the notion of self-reliance er:ur,ciat-=d ir the Laqos Plal:' of Action. At one e r.d of the de vel cpme r>t srectrun are countries such a& Eqypt ar,d Mozambique, which in 1980 !.ractically mortqaqed ever a third of tlleir export earni r.qs for cereal iiPnorts. The 1respcrdirq percer:taqes ir 1970 v:ere 9.2 ard 5 per cert. Ir Somalia, the tre rd is ever; more friqhte ri rc: cereal import:::: were equivaler:t to ever twc thin.Js of tctal merchurdise expco::-ts in 1S80. Ir, BeLir:, Etbicpia, Cuirea, r-:adaaascar, r.~orc,cco, S..!neoill 