By Munetsi Madakufamba – SANF 04 no 19
ARUSHA, 11 March 2004 – More than seven million people are expected to be in need of food aid during the current crop season in southern Africa, just under half of the number that was affected last year.
Latest information released by the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) Directorate of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) at the ongoing Council of Ministers meeting in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha, shows that late rains in most parts of the region were going to result in reduced cereal harvests.
“Because of the delayed onset of the rainy season, planting which normally is carried out in the October-November period, was late in most member states, as late as January particularly in parts of Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe,” said Margaret Nyirenda, FANR supervisor at the SADC Secretariat.
Although rainfall distribution improved in January through February, this was too late to save standing crops in drought-stricken areas of southern Mozambique, Swaziland, and eastern and southern Zimbabwe. “As a result, another poor harvest is expected for the current growing season,” said Nyirenda.
She said the late rains had only affected cereal production, resulting in reduced area planted in all southern African countries except Angola and Zambia. Angola has benefited immensely from the peace dividend since the end of civil war in April 2002. Previously inaccessible parts of the country have now been put under agricultural production, and inputs are freely distributed as widely as possible.
South Africa, the largest grain producer and exporter in the region planted its smallest maize area in 60 years. Its prime maize producing areas of Free State, Limpopo, North West and Mpumalanga have been affected by drought. Although the country is forecast to produce an overall maize surplus, it is unlikely to export to countries with a shortage of the staple grain.
The situation has been so bad in Lesotho and Swaziland it has prompted the two governments to declare, separately, national disasters and appeal for emergency aid. In Namibia, United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe, inadequate inputs such as seed and fertilizer worsened the situation.
Richard Masinire, Senior Agriculture Officer at SADC Secretariat said the actual situation might be slightly different as countries were still compiling their crop forecasts. He said only South Africa had reported that its harvest is going to be less by so many tonnes.
Masinire said countries such as Angola and DRC that grow cassava were better placed to supplement their cereal production. Cassava requires less rain than most cereals. SADC countries are being encouraged to grow more crop varieties as an insurance policy against bad weather.
In addition, the region is employing medium to long-term strategies that ensure food security and sustainable livelihoods. For instance, a new programme on irrigation development and water management that is aimed at reducing the dependency on rain-fed agricultural production has been developed. The programme is funded by the Africa Development Bank.
The SADC Secretariat is also exploring the possibility of creating a US$10-million “food reserve facility” to be supported by member states and the World Bank. The reserve facility would build a grain reserve that member states can rely on, as well as a fund that can support other non-food requirements during periods of need.
The forthcoming SADC Extra-Ordinary Summit on Agriculture and Food Security to be held in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam on 14 May is also expected to make major decisions that support sustainable agriculture and food security in the region.
“The Extra-Ordinary Summit will consider short, medium and long term measures to ensure food security in the region, taking into consideration the experiences of the recent food crisis,” said Nyirenda.
A meeting of SADC ministers of agriculture was recently held in Dar es Salaam to prepare for the forthcoming food summit.
The Council of Ministers meeting will officially open on 12 March when President Benjamin Mkapa will launch SADC’s new 15-year development plan, signaling its implementation phase. (SARDC)
