Floods threat to food security

More than 70,000 hectares of land and a substantial amount of livestock has been destroyed in the floods that have devastated Mozambique over the last two weeks, humanitarian agencies told IRIN on Wednesday. More damage was caused on Tuesday in Gaza, Sofala and Inhambane provinces following a cyclone that hit the country, submerging houses and destroying roads, bridges, factories, schools and health-care facilities. "People in the southern parts of the country have lost all the crops that they planted in the November-December season, making their food security situation uncertain," Georgia Shavers, the regional manager of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) in Maputo told IRIN. Shavers added, however, that WFP has stocks of 6,000 mt of food commodities for 90 days to feed the 300,000 displaced people, most of whom lost both their homes and livestock. Shavers said the destruction of livestock, upon which many of the affected people depend for their livelihood, will pose a long-term setback. "WFP will be launching an appeal to replenish its food stocks," Shavers added. However, analysts told IRIN that with farms and infrastructure in the country under metres of flood water, Mozambique will be dependent on food aid for at least the next six months. "The entire lifeline of the domestic economy has been destroyed, which will force Mozambique to borrow more to rebuild destroyed infrastructure while at the same time more food aid will be needed to feed the displaced people," a Mozambican analyst said. The United Nations, through the Secretary-General's office, announced on Wednesday that it plans to launch an international appeal for US $13 million to help Mozambique deal with the devastation of the floods.