Rome, Italy and Kabul, Afganistan
August 14, 2003
Afghanistan's cereal
crop will be the largest harvest on record but many households
will continue to require humanitarian assistance, according to a
joint report released today by two UN food agencies.
A total harvest of 5.37 million tonnes of cereals is expected
due in large part to good precipitation and better access to
seeds and fertilizers, the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme
(WFP) said in their report, the result of a joint mission to the
country.
"We knew the harvest would be large this year but this breaks
all records," said Henri Josserand, head of FAO's Global Early
Warning System which forecasts harvests and predicts where food
may be scarce. "We are looking at a crop that will be 50 percent
larger than last year's."
According to the report, the bumper crop is also the result of
Afghan farmers planting more wheat and using more fertilizer.
The overall area planted with rainfed wheat has increased by
more than 77 percent from the previous year.
A successful locust control campaign in the north of the country
has also been beneficial.
This year's abundant harvest means that Afghanistan's cereal
import requirement for the current marketing year (July 2003 -
June 2004) will only be about 400 000 tonnes, which is almost a
quarter of last year's import requirement. All import
requirements are expected to be covered commercially.
The forecasted crop includes 4.36 million tonnes of wheat - a 62
percent increase in the country's staple crop from a year ago,
as well as 410 000 tonnes of barley, 310 000 tonnes of maize and
291 000 tonnes of milled rice.
Market prices for wheat have fallen sharply in some regions and
may result in financial difficulties for farmers and reductions
in area planted next season.
In addition, planned construction on the Salang tunnel will
likely hinder the transfer of wheat to the grain-poor south,
causing prices in northern Afghanistan to fall further.
Hunger lingers despite harvest
Despite an expected record harvest this year, a considerable
number of Afghans will continue to face food shortages and will
depend on humanitarian food assistance, the agencies warned.
The agencies may purchase food aid locally if sufficient
surpluses are available.
Over two decades of civil strife and a severe drought from 1999
to 2001 have devastated the country, damaging the agricultural
sector and leaving infrastructure destroyed.
"The joint FAO/WFP mission to the country shows that, despite
better harvests, a timely and effective food intervention to
assist the poorest of the population in helping them rebuild an
asset base for their livelihood is essential" said Susana Rico,
WFP country director.
"Many of Afghanistan's poorest households will still need relief
aid in the coming year. These families have been worn down by
years of conflict and the improved economic and agricultural
situation will simply not filter down to them," she added.
A national risk and vulnerability assessment (NRVA) is underway
to determine exactly where and how much food aid will be needed
among the country's population of over 22 million.
As of the end of June 2003, WFP had about 114,000 tonnes of
cereal food aid in stock.
Chronic malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency disorders
continue to be a major problem in Afghanistan; particularly hard
hit are young children, women, refugees and people living in
remote mountain areas. Even with record harvests, there will
still be pockets of malnutrition in the country.
Links :
FAO/WFP Afghanistan Mission Report-
http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/J0156e/J0156e00.htm
Emergency Activities in Afghanistan -
http://www.fao.org/reliefoperations/appeals/2003/glance_afghanistan.html
Global Early Warning System (GIEWS) -
http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/faoinfo/economic/giews/english/giewse.htm |