The production shortfall will put pressure on cereal stocks, which could plummet from last year's level of 20 million tonnes to a mere 6 million tonnes by the end of the marketing year. Poor city and town dwellers are at high risk, as are people in isolated areas. Remote areas in the north and far- east face the risk of erratic food supplies and high prices. The poor harvests will exacerbate what was already a dire situation for many people. The disabled are another highly vulnerable group.
Orphans remain a particularly high-risk group.
Pensioners and public employees are also on the vulnerable list. Inflation could have extremely deleterious social consequences unless wages and pensions are indexed. In the early 1990s, food aid distributions were hindered by an ineffective monitoring and auditing system. But this year's dry weather hit home production too. The report suggests that production may not rebound quickly after this year's bad harvest.