ERRATIC RAINS, CIVIL STRIFE, DESERT LOCUSTS SERIOUSLY THREATEN FOOD SECURITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

ERRATIC RAINS, CIVIL STRIFE, DESERT LOCUSTS SERIOUSLY

THREATEN FOOD SECURITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Crisis in Sudan Pushes Millions off Land;

Elsewhere Drought, AIDS Undercut Agricultural Production

(Reissued as received.)

ROME, 6 July (FAO) -- Twenty-three countries in sub-Saharan Africa are facing food emergencies for the summer season, according to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s latest Africa Report, issued today.

Despite an overall decline in the region's food aid requirements, poor rains, internal conflicts, HIV/AIDS and a locust invasion have exposed millions of people to serious food insecurity and the need for emergency food assistance, the United Nations agency warned.

Sub-Saharan Africa's food aid requirement for 2004 is estimated at 2.9 million tonnes, compared to around 4 million tonnes last year.

Violence Offsets Good Harvest in Sudan

The humanitarian crisis in Greater Darfur, Sudan, has had grave consequences for food security, the report said, with over 1.2 million people forced from their homes and fields.

Despite good rains and a record cereal crop last year, prospects for the 2004 season are extremely poor as a result, the report noted.  "Reports paint a grim picture where the conflict has engulfed almost all parts of Greater Darfur, disrupting agricultural production and other essential activities."

An emergency operation was jointly approved by FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP) on 3 June 2004 to provide over $195 million in food aid assistance to 2 million affected people in the Sudan.

Eastern Africa:  Harvest Prospects Unfavourable

In eastern Africa, poor rains and the lingering effects of past droughts and conflicts have increased the likelihood of serious food shortages in several countries.

"In Somalia, the situation is very alarming as the cumulative effects of recurrent droughts and long running civil strife have led to severe food insecurity", reported the FAO, singling out the drought situation in the north-east as "particularly worrying".  Four years of below-normal rainfall have killed up to 80 per cent of livestock in some areas.  Intensifying civil conflicts in southern and central areas have compounded these problems.

In Ethiopia, despite earlier optimism, rains have been inadequate, while in Eritrea the likelihood of another drought-reduced harvest is very high.  In Uganda, crop prospects are unfavourable due to erratic rains, adding to enduring insecurity in the north.  Kenya's unfavourable crop prospects are compounded by cases of Aflatoxin poisoning in several parts of the country.  The Government has stepped up food distributions in districts with contaminated stocks.

Conflict, Locust Invasion Are Leading Problems in Western Africa

The overall food supply situation is western Africa remains satisfactory, reflecting good harvests in 2003, the FAO said, but food difficulties persist in several countries.

An upsurge of desert locusts poses a serious threat to this year's coming crops in the Sahel; however, control operations remain severely hampered by lack of resources.

Insecurity and the unavailability of agricultural inputs continue to cause problems in Côte d'Ivoire, but there are signs of improvement in some areas, noted the FAO.  Sierra Leone's security situation remains calm and plantings are increasing as displaced farmers return and access to farming inputs improves.  Still, internally displaced people and refugees in these two countries, as well as in Liberia and Guinea, continue to require food assistance.

In Chad, fighting in nearby Sudan has led to an influx of nearly 200 000 refugees, putting the food stocks of local populations under heavy strain and significantly raising cereal prices.

Civil Strife in Central Africa Undermining Food Security

Cereal production is expected to decrease for the third consecutive year in the Central African Republic as a result of civil strife, despite favourable weather conditions.

Similarly, in the Republic of the Congo, a delicate security situation is still hampering humanitarian assistance, and many challenges for improving agricultural production remain, despite recent peace accords.

Burundi should see some improvement in food crop production in 2004, but an outbreak of cassava mosaic virus has pushed up prices for mainstay roots and tubers by 50 to 100 per cent in some areas.

Southern Africa Beset by HIV/AIDS, Drought

The preliminary estimate of the 2004 cereal harvest in southern Africa puts production at about 20 million tonnes, roughly a 4 per cent drop from last year.  Production of maize, the region's most important crop, declined by 9 per cent from the previous year, to 14 million tonnes.

Cereal harvests in Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe decreased in 2004, while Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia enjoyed increases in production.

Angola has had a very good crop, with abundant rains raising cereal output to 713 000 tonnes, up 9 per cent from last year and 27 per cent over the previous five-year average.

To the south, however, Lesotho continues to reel from the effects of drought; its estimated 2004 cereal production is less than half of last year's, necessitating emergency food assistance to large numbers of people, the FAO said.

Cereal production in Zimbabwe also remains well below average levels, with anticipated food shortages for 2.3 million rural people -- and at least as many in urban areas.  The report cited a number of underlying factors, including late and erratic rains, shortages of seeds, draught power and fertilizer, underused commercial farms, and the impact of HIV/AIDS.

In addition, "Hyper-inflation, combined with extremely high levels of unemployment, greatly limit access to food for the most vulnerable people", noted the FAO.

The cereal harvest in Malawi was also below normal, and 1.26 million people in the south and some central regions will require food assistance, the FAO said.

The Africa Report is produced by FAO's Global Information and Early Warning Service and is partly based on joint FAO/WFP assessment missions to African countries throughout the year.

For further information, contact:  Erwin Northoff, Information Officer, FAO, e-mail: erwin.northoff@fao.org, tel: (+39) 06 570 53105; and FAO Media Office,   e-mail: media-office@fao.org, tel: (+39) 06 570 53625.  For radio interviews:  Liliane Kambirigi, Radio Information Officer, e-mail: liliane.kambirigi@fao.org, tel.: (+39) 06 570 53223.

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