Agriculture and fishing
Agriculture is concentrated in southern Chad where it rains most, while livestock farming predominates in the central parts of the country. At the top of the north, camel and sheep breeding as well as date farming are the most important sources of income.
- CountryAAH: Comprehensive import regulations of Chad. Covers import prohibitions and special documentation requirements for a list of prohibited items.
Livestock management is an important source of inner life. Livestock accounts for a quarter of the country’s export earnings. In addition, there is an extensive smuggling of animals to Nigeria where they are exchanged for food and other goods.
Cotton is the most important export crop. The Chadians have tried to reduce their dependence on cotton by growing sugar cane and tobacco for export. Rubber arabic extracted from acacia trees and used in the pharmaceutical industry is another important export product.
Most farmers, however, grow for their own use, mainly sorghum, millet, beans, peanuts, sesame, sweet potatoes, root vegetables, rice and maize. For Chad defense and foreign policy, please check prozipcodes.
Agricultural production varies widely between different years, depending on weather conditions. Drought is a recurring phenomenon. Food deficiencies usually rule two out of three years in central and eastern Chad. The large number of refugees in the country (see Population and languages) has exacerbated food shortages and increased pressure on the land.
The soil is threatened by dehydration and the desert in the north is spreading. This reduces the area that can be used for agriculture, which puts a strain on the peaceful coexistence between resident farmers and nomadic herdsmen.
Chad’s small forest stock has largely been destroyed in the hunt for firewood.
In Chad and in the Logone and Chari rivers there is fishing, mainly for house needs. Lake Chad is about to dry out (see Natural Resources and Energy).
FACTS – AGRICULTURE
Agriculture’s share of GDP
44.8 percent (2018)
Percentage of land used for agriculture
39.7 percent (2016)
- Abbreviationfinder.org: Offers how the 3-letter acronym of TCD stands for the state of Chad in geography.
2014
November
Protests against commodity shortages and expensive gasoline
Demonstrations against the government are being held in Chad’s three largest cities. The protests concern commodity shortages, sharply increased gasoline prices and missing wages. Security forces respond by firing at protesters.
The first trial in Chad against Habré’s regime
Twenty-eight former employees of President Habré are facing trial for mass murder and torture during Habré’s regime in the 1980s. It is the first trial on Chadian land against suspects responsible for thousands of murders carried out on orders of the then regime. The trial is updated immediately, as all attorneys strike to get outstanding financial compensation and for better working conditions. Habré himself is charged with, among other things, war crimes and genocide at a special court in Senegal.
August
Chinese company is prohibited from drilling for oil
The government cancels five drilling licenses for the Chinese oil company CNPC and demands the company $ 1.2 billion in fines for environmental violations. The state is accusing CNPC of irresponsible behavior that has led to a health hazard at the drilling sites. CNPC was forced to cancel its operations in May after refusing to pay a fine. The state plans to bring the Chinese company to trial in both N’Djamena and Paris.
May
The border with the Central African Republic is closed
The government decides to close the border with the Central African Republic and not allow entry or exit until the conflict in the southern neighboring country is over. President Déby says that military surveillance in the border area should increase significantly.
February
G5 Sahel is formed
Together with Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Mali and Niger, Chad forms an organization named G5 Sahel. Its purpose is to strengthen cooperation on development and security in the Sahel region. The headquarters is located in Mauritania’s capital Nouakchott.