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Food
Security Early Warning System Monthly Update Jan 2006
Southern
African Development Community (SADC)
February 20, 2006
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SODA-6MN9SU?OpenDocument&rc=1&cc=zwe
SADC Regional
Summary
Seasonal
rainfall performance so far has been good for most parts of the
SADC region except for Tanzania where the Vuli (short rains) season
failed and the start of the main season has been delayed.
However, dry
spells have also been experienced in parts of Angola, Lesotho, Malawi,
Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland. Similar but less serious
conditions have occurred in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The climate
outlook for February, March and April continues to look favorable
for most parts of the region except for Tanzania.
Problems of
access to inputs have been experienced in a number of countries
but are slightly more serious in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and
Lesotho. Limited availability and high prices have prevented access
to improved seeds, fertilizers and hiring of tractors by smallholder
farmers.
Current assessments
indicate that the area planted to crops may be higher than last
season in most countries except South Africa, where preliminary
estimates indicate that commercial farmers have reduced maize plantings
by almost 50%.
As a result
of the reduced area planted to maize in South Africa, which normally
produces half of the region's maize output, the overall SADC maize
production for the current season may end up lower than last season's
output of 20.66 million tonnes. This may happen in spite of the
expected increase in maize output in the other Member States except
Tanzania where the rainfall situation has been unfavourable.
The current
food security situation remains poor in most Member States with
the number of households running out of food continuing to increase
as the region enters its lean period before the next main harvest.
The most severely affected Member States are Malawi, Mozambique,
Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe:
Lack of inputs especially fertilizers may reduce crop production…
Most of the country has received good rains this season except the
extreme southern districts, which have received less than 75% of
their usual rainfall. Elsewhere the good rainfall conditions have
been favourable for a good crop. However, the high cost of inputs
especially fertilizers has greatly dampened expectation for improved
cereal crop production this season. In addition, crop yields may
be negatively affected by the outbreak of armyworm and excessive
rains in some parts of the country which have led to leaching of
soil nutrients and fertilizers, water logging and proliferation
of weeds.
The food security situation has remained poor throughout the 2005/06
consumption year as a result of the poor cereal production during
the 2004/05 crop season. A cereal deficit of 1.62 million tonnes,
made up of 1.38 million tonnes of maize, 197,000 tonnes of wheat,
38,000 tonnes of sorghum/millet and 6,000 tonnes of rice was assessed
at the beginning of the marketing year. Although no food aid appeal
was made by the Government, the country has received some donor
assistance aimed at targeted programmes such as social welfare cases,
HIV and AIDS related home based care, child supplementary feeding
programmes, including school feeding and clinical therapeutic feeding.
Reports indicate that some 771,000 tonnes of maize has been imported
from South Africa alone to partially cover the 2005/06 maize deficit
of 1.38 million tonnes. More food imports are required to cover
food needs for the remaining months until the next harvest in May.
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