Government appeals for flood aid

The Mozambican government has appealed for seed and grains for distribution to victims of flooding that ravaged crops in southern and central Mozambique earlier this year, news reports said on Wednesday. The National Agriculture Directorate said it needed 416 mt of maize seeds, 210 mt of rice, 85 mt of beans and 72 mt of nuts. Earlier this year, Mozambique experienced its worst flooding in 40 years, with the coastal towns of Vilankulos and Inhassoro among the most severely affected. In March, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that an estimated 70,000 people had been affected by the floods, with up to 6,000 people displaced.