Surplus food production expected

Mali expects to produce surplus food in 2002 and is unlikely to require any emergency food aid between February and the next harvest in September-October, the Food Early Warning System (FEWS) reported on Friday. Cereal production for the 2001/02 crop year rose by 24 percent from the previous years, and with an estimated population of 10.7 million as at the end of April 2002, there will be a cereal supply of 2.9 mt leading to an overall food surplus of nearly 66,000 mt. "The combination of a good supply of crops from the 2001/02 growing season and equally good harvests in neighbouring countries should mean less demand for Malian cereals this year. With most farming areas of the country showing good supplies of cereal crops and ensuing declines in cereal prices, the food situation for most of the country's population should remain satisfactory throughout 2002," the FEWS update stated. Most crops in the country performed well due to adequate rainfall. Rice yields were up by 13 percent, millet by 14 percent, sorghum by 23 percent, and maize by 104 percent from last year's growing season. Production in the so-called "cereal basket" — namely Koulikoro, Sikasso, and Ségou Regions — was up by 30 percent, 39 percent, and 15 percent, respectively from last year. "With good production figures reported in surplus areas and the downturn in domestic market prices, regular trade between surplus and deficit areas should provide structurally deficit areas with adequate supplies of grain. Any shortfalls in cereal production in (some) areas will be made up by regular trade, bolstered by coping measures of the local population and by this year's generally positive conditions", the early warning system reported.