SPECIAL NEWS REPORT BY FAO/WFP CROP-AND-FOOD SUPPLY ASSESSMENT MISSION TO ALBANIA ISSUED
Press Release
SAG/47
WFP/1050
SPECIAL NEWS REPORT BY FAO/WFP CROP-AND-FOOD SUPPLY ASSESSMENT MISSION TO ALBANIA ISSUED
19990713 ROME, 13 July (FAO/WFP) -- In March, an escalation of violence in the Kosovo Province of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Kosovo), led to a large-scale exodus of refugees into neighbouring countries, among which Albania was particularly favoured because of the generous open-door policy maintained by the Government of Albania and by the Albanian people themselves throughout the crisis. By early June, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that the total number of refugees in the country stood at around 440,000, of whom approximately half were accommodated in tent camps and half were living with host families.In view of concerns about the impact of the Kosovo crisis on the food security situation of the country, a joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/World Food Programme (WFP) crop-and-food supply assessment mission was fielded to Albania from 3 to 13 June. The mission gave special attention to the impact of the large influx of refugees on the hosting population, including, food consumption patterns, health and nutrition status and access to food supplies. The mission's findings are based on discussions with government ministries and departments and local authorities, United Nations organizations -- UNHCR, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Health Organization (WHO) and WFP -- and bilateral agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) based in the country and on field visits to selected areas, including household interviews. In the limited time available, field visits were made to 10 of the
12 prefectures, including all the major agricultural production areas, as well as Shkoder and Kukes in the north of the country, which are those prefectures most affected by the refugee influx.
The mission found that the impact of the crisis on agricultural production, food prices, the local economy and overall food security in Albania appears to have been small. Indeed, there may have been a marginal, although very temporary, positive impact on some hosting families who have been able to benefit from emergency food parcels and additional income earned from renting to refugees.
The mission concluded that the precarious food security being experienced by many Albanian households is attributable mainly to the general economic and development difficulties that the country has experienced throughout the 1990s, rather than to the extraordinary circumstances created by the crisis.
It should be noted that the potentially enormous burden on the local population of providing asylum to nearly half a million refugees was alleviated by the fast and adequate response of the international agencies and NGOs in supplying food and other types of emergency assistance. Had this effort not taken place, the crisis could have had quite a severe impact on the already very poor Albanian population.
The mission forecasts Albanian cereal production in 1999 at 456,000 tonnes, somewhat less than the average of the past few years, and covering only about 50 per cent of the domestic requirement. The mission identified that the two main factors which have affected cereal production this year have been excessive rainfall during the autumn planting period and a preference by farmers to grow more lucrative cash crops. Both of which have led to a reduction in the area planted to cereals. While the crisis appears to have had little effect on the overall outcome of the 1999 cereal harvest, disruption to spring planting in the northern areas bordering Kosovo has affected an estimated 10,000 internally displaced persons in the area.
The cereal import requirement for the Albanian population for the marketing year 1999/2000 (July/June) is estimated at 478,000 tonnes, comprising 373,000 tonnes of wheat, 81,000 tonnes of maize, and 17,000 tonnes of rice. While the requirement of wheat is just above the average of the past few years, the bulk of which has normally been met by commercial imports, that for maize for animal feed is significantly larger than normal. However, it is possible that increased availability of home-grown forage due to this year's above normal rainfall and also from land intended for cereals which was left fallow, could eventually partially offset the requirement for maize.
Against the requirement of wheat estimated by the mission, food aid of 3,000 tonnes of wheat have already been pledged for families that are hosting refugees. The food needs of the refugees have been excluded when calculating the cereal balance. Their needs are being met through a separate international assistance programme.
With regard to vegetable production, because rain delayed spring planting, official data on areas planted was not complete at the time of the mission. However, information gathered during field visits indicated that the final area would be about normal.
- 3 - Press Release SAG/47 WFP/1050 13 July 1999
This report is prepared on the responsibility of the FAO and WFP secretariats with information from official and unofficial sources. Since conditions may change rapidly, please contact the undersigned for further information if required.
Abdur Rashid, Chief, GIEWS FAO Telex 610181 FAO I; fax: 0039-06-5705-4495; e-mail: GIEWS1@FAO.ORG
J. Cheng-Hopkins, Regional Director, OAC, WFP Telex: 626675 WFP 1; fax: 0039-06-6513-2863; E-Mail: Judy.Cheng-Hopkins@WFP.ORG
This special report is available on the Internet at the following URL address: http://www.fao.org/giews/
Inquiries should be directed to:
FAO Media-Office (Media-Office@fao.org) John Riddle, 0039-06-5705 3259, John.Riddle@FAO.Org Liliane Kambirigi, 0039-06-5705 3223, Liliane.Kambirigi@FAO.Org Erwin Northoff, 0039-06-5705 3105; e-mail: Erwin.Northoff@FAO.Org
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