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Southern
Africa food security update August 2007 - Substantial food imports
needed
Famine Early Warning System
Network (FEWSNET) and United States Agency for International Development
(USAID)
September 12, 2007
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-76Y949?OpenDocument&rc=1&cc=zwe
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The recently
concluded National Vulnerability Assessments found that the number
of food insecure people in Southern Africa has almost doubled, from
about 3.1 million last year to 6.1 million this year. About 5.7
million of these people live in Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and
southern Mozambique, where severe drought this season has led to
significant production deficits and high staple food prices, limiting
market access for households that have already run out of own production.
In Malawi, Tanzania,
Zambia, Angola, and northern Mozambique, the food security situation
is currently satisfactory, due to above average harvests following
a good crop- growing season and - with the exception
of Angola - sizable carryover stocks from the previous season.
Consequently, staple food prices have remained stable, and are lower
than at the same time last year and the past five- year average.
Households in
localized areas affected by excessive rains in parts of Tanzania,
Zambia, Angola, and northern Mozambique are facing food insecurity
as a result of flooding, loss of crops, and disruption of livelihoods.
Assessment results also suggest the existence of localized cases
of chronic food insecurity in these countries, as well as in Malawi.
Intra-regional
trade continues to play an important role in covering some of the
food shortages in the grain deficit countries. Available data suggests
that surplus producing countries (Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania) have
already exported significant quantities to deficit countries in
the region, including South Africa. However, the regional availability
can not meet the full needs of the region's grain deficit countries;
in addition, the limited market and transport infrastructure available
to the region's traders is not likely to be able to handle the large
volumes needed to fill gaps. The region will still need to import
substantial quantities from overseas.
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