From: wsargeant@IGC.ORG (Winslow L. Sargeant)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS:Africa, FAO reports grave food supp'
Date: 17 Apr 92 15:59:47 GMT

/* Written 12:04 am  Apr 17, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "AFRICA: FAO REPORTS GRAVE FOOD SUPP" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: AFRICA: FAO REPORTS GRAVE FOOD SUPPLY SITUATION


att editors:                     embargoed copy

please note that the following copy is under embargo and may not
be printed or otherwise reproduced before 12.00 gmt on wednesday
apr. 15.

nairobi, apr 14 (ips) -- nineteen countries in sub-saharan
africa face ''exceptional food emergencies'' this year as a
result of prolonged drought, the u.n. food and agriculture
organisation (fao) has reported.

in its first report for 1992, a copy of which was made
available to ips here, the fao says imports of around 10 million
tons of cereals will be needed during 1992-93, against less than
two million tons in a normal year, to feed populations of these
countries.

prepared by the fao's global information and early warning
system, the report says severe drought in january and february
resulted in a loss of more than half the expected harvests of
maize, sorghum and other cereals in sub-saharan africa.

it lists angola, botswana, ethiopia, kenya, lesotho, liberia,
madagascar, mauritania, mozambique, namibia, rwanda, sierra
leone, somalia, sudan, swaziland, tanzania, zaire, zambia and
zimbabwe as countries facing ''exceptional food emergencies''.

drought has greatly reduced harvests in strife-torn
countries, including angola, ethiopia, liberia, mozambique,
somalia, sudan and zaire.

in addition to drought, the food situation has been worsened
by the influx of refugees in kenya, malawi and sierra leone
while lack of security in somalia and ethiopia poses serious
constraints on food supplies, the fao report says.

africa's food (cereal) production is forecast to be
significantly lower than the 55.7 million tons produced in
1991-92 while worldwide food demand continues to rise,
especially in the former eastern bloc.

although the food supply situation in southern africa had for
a long time been satisfactory, the fao estimates that the
sub-region faces a cereals shortage exceeding 10 million tons,
up from two million in a normal agricultural season.

traditional deficits in the region had been met by south
africa and zimbabwe, which also this year face severe drought
along with all the other southern african states.

zimbabwe is importing 1.7 million tons of maize this year to
to cover the deficit caused by drought in local production.
(more/ips)


africa: fao (2)

according to the fao estimates, south africa needs to
import 1.5 million tons of cereals and mozambique requires one
million tons.

despite improved harvests in angola, the country needs an
extra 270,000 tons to meet its food demands and zambia requires
over 700,000 tons, the report says.

the decline in cereal output in botswana, lesotho, namibia
and swaziland will necessitate imports of between 100,000 and
250,000 tons by each country.

in the horn of africa, the report adds, somalia would need
400,000 tons of emergency food between june and july. continued
civil war in the country hinders food production.

over 1.2 million people in liberia face famine after being
displaced by the civil war, and the fao has warned that delay in
reaching the population could be worsened by the rainy season
starting in july.

the report also blames distribution problems for hampering an
exceptionally good harvest in the sahel where over 100,000 tons
of cereals are intended for needy people in chad, burkina faso,
gambia, guinea-bissau, mali, niger and senegal.
(end/ips/phk/ar/tvh/92)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african