Food insecurity set to worsen in southern provinces

The food security situation in southern Mozambique is set to worsen, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) warned in its latest report. While the Ministry of Agriculture had not yet released its preliminary harvest estimates, "yield forecasts indicate production may be above normal in the north, below normal in the centre and well below normal in the south". "Because the most productive regions of the country will have a good harvest, total national maize production figures may mask severe regional disparities," FEWS NET cautioned. "A lack of markets for surpluses in the north and a growing number of people requiring emergency food aid in the south are both likely in the coming months. As usual, maize is not expected to move from the north to the south because of the high transport costs," the report explained. The World Food Programme (WFP) has extended its emergency operation (EMOP) through to June this year, and increased its target beneficiaries to 650,000, WFP spokeswoman Katharina Gola told IRIN. However, FEWS NET said "food distributions to date have not reached targeted levels, mainly due to resource constraints and lack of capacity among implementing partners". The southern provinces of Tete and Gaza received the most food aid in March. Gola told IRIN that WFP "has resource limitations. But of course, we are doing our best to try to reach as many people as possible". "Most of the food aid has been distributed through food-for-work programmes, but more free food distributions are likely as the food security picture worsens in the south, where the production has been extremely poor," FEWS NET said. It was expected that the needs would last beyond the June extension of WFP's EMOP, and aid agencies and NGOs were already looking at meeting the demands. A joint crop and food supply assessment mission by WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organisation has begun. The mission aims to verify production estimates and evaluate the food supply. Meanwhile, the Mozambican National Vulnerability Assessment Committee will begin the next round of assessments in mid-May. "It will carry out a household survey in 27 districts most seriously affected by the emergency, examining the nutritional status of children and the short-term food security outlook," FEWS NET added.