FAO: Poor Prospects for 2008 Cereal Crops in East Africa

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) anticipates unfavorable cereal crop harvest in several African countries this year. Below-average rains during the months of March to May have reduced the water availability in the Horn of the African Region, which has already inadequate supply as a result of a poor October-December 2007 season. FAO estimated that some 14 million people in the region are in urgent need of food aid and other humanitarian assistance in the coming months.

The failure of the 2008 crop in Somalia has resulted in a critical food supply position. Crop conditions are extremely poor in both sorghum and maize areas and the vegetation index for maize in Lower Shabelle region at this time of the year is the lowest recorded over the last ten years. The absence of a functioning government and the devaluation of the Somali schilling have made the situation worse.

Drought has also taken its toll in Kenya and Uganda. In addition to irregular weather patterns, rising fuel and agricultural input prices and high cost of labor have resulted to a drop in food production in the normally fertile Rift Valley region.

For more information, read http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/EGUA-7GKMTV?OpenDocument.