Crop condition was below average during the reporting period for most parts of the country. Rainfall (RAIN) was reduced by about 25% compared to average and only a marginal 116 mm was recorded, whereas radiation (RADPAR) increased by 8%. The southeastern maize belt was the most devastated with about a 44% reduction in rainfall compared to the average. Temperature only increased by a slight 0.2°C, which combined with the prevailing water deficit resulted in a 20% reduction of the biomass production potential (BIOMSS). This affects most crops, such as teff, maize, and barley, that are harvested around December. The maximum VCI was highest (0.9) in the central and northern parts of the country, which include Amhara, Oromia, and North Wollo, as well as parts of northeast SNPP and the far east of Oromia.

The spatial NDVI clusters and profiles revealed trends comparable to those of the previous growing season. Additionally, the fraction of cropped arable land (CALF) increased by 6.8 percentage points, while throughout the monitoring period crop development was below average. Central Amhara, the main teff and wheat producing area, shows high NDVI values of more than 0.8, depicting a generally favorable situation and good production output. About 2% of the country experienced poor conditions, especially in southern parts of SNPP and Oromia. Overall, up to December, below average crop conditions occurred in about 20% of the country, which is likely to affect the Meher harvest. This is particularly true if water shortage occurred at critical phenological stages of the crops. In addition, the current shortage of rain, except in the northwest, will unfavorably affect Belg crops.