GLOBAL INFORMATION AND EARLY WARNING SYSTEM ON FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

‘Foodcrops and Shortages’ to Be Published Today

(Reissued as received.)

ROME, 19 June (Food and Agriculture Organization) -– FAO’s “Foodcrops and Shortages” will be published on the FAO Web site at 12 noon CET, Thursday, 19 June.

The URL for “Foodcrops and Shortages”on the Web is: http://www.fao.org/giews/english/fs/fstoc.htm.

Highlights from the June 2003 issue of “Foodcrops and Shortages” are not for use before 12 noon CET 19 June.

AFRICA:  In eastern Africa, the food situation is grave in Ethiopia and Eritrea where the number of people in need of food assistance now stands at 12.5 million and 2.3 million respectively.  With the lean season just beginning, more food-aid pledges and faster delivery are urgently required.  In southern Africa, Zimbabwe faces acute food shortages with some 5.5 million people in need of assistance.  In southern Mozambique some 950,000 people will require emergency food aid in 2003/04.  In western Africa, the food situation of a large number of people in Mauritania, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire is of serious concern.

ASIA:  A serious humanitarian crisis persists in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.  In China, the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) has significantly affected the country's economy and agriculture.  In Iraq, the outcome of the current crops is uncertain due to insecurity and shortages of spare parts for harvesting machinery.  In Afghanistan prospects are for an improved cereal harvest this year.  However, access to food remains a serious problem for a large number of people.  The food situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip continues to be grim due to disruptions caused by military operations.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN:  In Central America, food assistance continues to be provided in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua to rural families affected by the severe crisis in the coffee sector.  In South America, prospects are poor for the 2003 maize crop in Ecuador due to adverse weather at planting.  In Venezuela, the outlook is also poor for the coarse grain and paddy crops, mainly due to a shortage of farm inputs and scarce water availability, particularly for the paddy crop.

EUROPE:  A reduction in wheat output is forecast in the European Union in 2003 but outputs of other grains will change little compared to last year.  Reduced cereal outputs are expected in several of the CEECs because of unfavourable weather for some of the winter grains and for spring planting in parts.  Frost, thin snow cover and a late spring in the European CIS have compromised this year's cereal harvest.  The harvest throughout the European CIS is seen significantly lower than the harvest in the past few years.  In the Republic of Moldova a very tight food supply is envisaged, following a severely cold winter and dry spring. 

NORTH AMERICA:  Cereal production in both the United States and Canada is set to recover sharply from last year's drought-reduced levels.  Winter wheat is already being harvested in parts of the United States while planting of the spring/summer crops in the region has mostly been completed under satisfactory conditions.  According to latest forecasts, output could increase by almost 50 per cent in Canada and about 15 per cent in the United States.  In Canada, the bulk of the cereal crop has just been planted under generally satisfactory conditions.

OCEANIA:  Cereal planting and production in 2003 should rebound sharply after last year's severely reduced output.  Assuming a return to normal weather conditions after the El Niño-induced drought last year, the wheat crop is forecast to recover to 24 million tonnes, close to the record harvest in 2001.  Conditions for the winter grain planting have been generally satisfactory so far but in early June some areas were still waiting to receive sufficient planting rains.

For information, contact:   John Riddle, Information Officer, FAO, e-mail: John.riddle@fao.org, tel.: (+39) 06 570 53259.

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