Against this requirement, pledges as of late March amount to 0.9 million tonnes of which 0.3 million tonnes have been delivered. In southern Africa , overall prospects for the 2001 cereal crop are poor. This reflects a decline in the area planted from last year's level and lower yields due to a mid-season dry spell in January, followed by excessive rains. The heavy rains resulted in severe flooding that displaced thousands of people and caused damage to infrastructure and crops in several areas. Latest FAO's forecast point to a decrease of one-quarter of the maize crop, compared to last year.
Maize accounts for three-quarters of total cereal production in southern Africa.
Maize output is forecast to decline by around 34 percent from last year's good level. In Zimbabwe, plantings were also sharply reduced due to the resettlement of commercial farms, while yields were adversely affected by dry weather and floods in parts. Maize production is forecast to decline by 41 percent from the level of 2000. In Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, serious floods resulted in crop losses in localized areas while excessive rains negatively affected yields. Maize outputs are expected to decline substantially compared to last year but to remain at average or above average levels.