Poor crops ‘to worsen’ hunger season in Horn states

POOR crop prospects this year in the Horn of Africa after below-average rains, combined with conflict and displacement, were aggravating a serious food insecurity situation in the region, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said yesterday.
Nearly 20-million people depended on food assistance in the region, and this number might increase as the “hunger season” progresses, particularly among subsistence farmers, pastoralists and low- income urban dwellers, the Rome- based FAO said .

The effect of the oscillation in ocean temperature known as El Nino, which usually brings heavy rains towards the end of the year, could make matters worse, resulting in floods and mudslides, destroying crops both in the field and in stores, increasing livestock losses and damaging infrastructure and housing, the FAO warned.

Across eastern Africa, prices of maize, a major staple, had declined since the beginning of the year, but remained higher than they were two years ago, the FAO said.

In Uganda and Kenya, prices of maize in June were almost double their level 24 months earlier. In Khartoum, Sudan, June prices of sorghum, another staple crop, were more than double those of 2007. Similarly, prices in Mogadishu, Somalia, still remained higher than the pre-crisis period, despite declining since the middle of last year.

For pastoralists, lack of adequate pasture has worsened livestock conditions and reduced market prospects, affecting their incomes and ability to obtain staple foods.
In Uganda, production of this year’s first-season crops, completed early last month, is forecast at well below average levels, representing the fourth successive poor harvest.
In the country’s northern Acholi region, first-season cereal and pulse production is estimated to be about 50% below the average.

In Kenya, the poor performance of the “long rains” maize crop, combined with already depleted national cereal stocks, exports bans in neighbouring countries and persistent high cereal prices, have reduced food access. The maize crop, which accounts for 80% of total annual production, is estimated at 1,84-million tons, about 28% below normal .

In Ethiopia, production of the secondary “belg” season crop is also estimated at levels well below average. Scarce rains have resulted in crop losses of up to 75% in some of the hardest-hit areas.  With the partial failure of the “belg” season crop, the number of people in need of emergency assistance was expected to increase by 1.3-million to 6.2-million, the FAO said.

The FAO’s food security and nutrition analysis unit said Somalia was facing its worst humanitarian crisis in 18 years, with about half the population — 3.6-million people — in need of emergency livelihood and life-saving assistance. This included 1.4-million rural people affected by the severe drought, about 655000 urban poor facing high food and non- food prices, and 1.3-million internally displaced people .