Govt appeals for aid as food crisis looms

The government of Mozambique has appealed for food aid for around 550,000 people after a prolonged dry spell caused widespread crop failures in the south and central parts of the country. The World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed on Tuesday that it has been "officially" requested to assist Mozambicans in the provinces of Inhambane, Gaza, Maputo, Manica, Sofala, Zambezia and Tete. "The support, according to the National Institute of Disaster Management, should be mainly provided through food-for-work [activities] and last until the next harvest," WFP said. The aid agency is already assisting about 214,000 people in drought-affected areas through its Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO). The PRRO was meant to help people recover from the previous drought in 2002. However, another dry spell will see the aid agency shift the focus of its operations to emergency response programming once more. WFP said it would adjust its aid plans as soon as the results of a joint WFP/Food and Agriculture Organisation mission to assess crop and food supply become available, "which should be next week". In total, WFP operations in Mozambique currently reach about 580,000 people through targeted programmes, such as school-feeding; providing community safety nets for people affected by HIV/AIDS; food-for-work activities aimed at improving community assets; and food distributions to vulnerable groups. WFP country director Angela Van Rynbach expressed concern at the level of food insecurity in the south and centre of the country. "The situation is worrying for hundreds of thousands of Mozambicans, who will not have enough to eat during the next months. WFP is urging the donor community to respond to the drought that has been affecting people's lives, year after year, since 2002," she said. "However, WFP is facing a [food aid] pipeline break in July, meaning that there are insufficient stocks or pledges to continue with the ongoing operations, let alone expand to meet increased needs," Van Rynbach noted. Without additional funding, WFP will be forced to start cutting food rations for close to 150,000 beneficiaries in July, despite the emerging food security crisis.