Urgent delivery of seeds needed

A delay in providing farmers in Southern Africa with crucial seeds for the current planting season could prolong the cycle of hunger, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday. "The planting season for the main maize crop is starting now, however, many farmers still do not have the necessary seeds or key agricultural implements to begin planting," WFP spokesman Richard Lee told IRIN. WFP called on donors to fund the purchase and distribution of much-needed seeds and other agricultural inputs, without which the region could face serious food shortages again next year. Presently, more than 14 million people in six southern African countries were faced with hunger, mainly due to drought induced crop failures. WFP believed this to be "the most serious humanitarian crisis in the world today". The latest food security assessments in the region showed just how serious the situation was, with more than 70 percent of households having no cereal seed in Zambia and Malawi. While in Zimbabwe, more than 94 percent of farmers were without seeds as of last month, WFP said in a statement. "In many of the countries seeds are available either in the capital cities or in major towns, but many farmers complain that because of logistics or the high prices [of the seeds] they are unattainable. Due to the severity of the current drought many farmers have used up all their coping mechanisms," Lee said. He added that many farmers had been forced to sell their livestock in order to buy maize. Said Lee: "A delay in access to seeds could mean another food crisis next year even if the rains are good. If they [farmers] receive the seeds promptly and the rains are good, then there is a chance of a good harvest from the next cropping season." This would help ease the current food crisis. "At least then farmers can concentrate on medium and long-term programmes to boost agricultural production," Lee added.