Food aid likely to be needed in Guinea Bissau, report says

Guinea Bissau is unlikely to have a good harvest this year and there are some areas of very bad crops throughout the country, a joint OCHA, FAO, Association Francaise des Volontaires du Progres (AFVP) report says. The report, received by IRIN today, says that in a normal year the country only produces enough cereals to cover 69 percent of its needs, which means it imports 64,000 mt of rice on average each year. “A deficit (this year) can therefore be foreseen and the need for food aid should be established in relation to the level of the harvest, the recovery of the rural economy and the imports guaranteed in the framework of the 1999 cashew nuts campaign,” the report says. It recommends among other proposals joint action by humanitarian aid agencies, work to repair damaged dams and dykes which is essential if next year’s rice crop is not to be compromised and supplies of seed for food-producing plants in consultation with the local people so that the varieties and amounts distributed relate to their ability to grow crops.