Food insecurity continues

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on Sunday estimated that Burundi would face a food deficit this year equivalent to some 148,000 mt. Insecurity, disrupted agricultural production and recurring drought over the past three years had all added to problems associated with weak fertility of lands and small farm sizes to create insufficiency in food crops and stocks, especially for the displaced population, according to an FAO emergency newsletter. High malnutrition rates had been noted sine October 2000 in most provinces, but were particularly acute in Karuzi, and the FAO had done one of its largest ever nationwide food distribution campaigns to try to protect this year’s May and June harvest, it said. In all, the agency had distributed around 3,500 mt of bean seeds - 10 kg to 15 kg to each family, depending on malnutrition rates and access to land - and 1.7 mt of vegetable seeds (10 kg per family), the report said.

The FAO said it would try to secure funds to enable a timely and increased distribution of seeds to protect the Burundi harvest in January and May/June next year. So far, the agency had a shortfall of some US $845,000 for emergency, support and rehabilitation interventions for this year, it said. Increasing next year’s seed ration to 20 kg per family (when applicable) would enable households to increase production and consolidate their stocks for consumption and planting, it added. The FAO recommended diversifying crops by distributing high-protein drought-tolerant groundnut, soybean and sorghum seeds for late 2001 and for next year.