Relief agencies start planning for regional aid appeals

While the world digests the news that almost 13 million people in the region won't be able to feed themselves, planners from relief agencies have started "number crunching" what it would take to launch a regional Emergency Operation, hopefully by 1 July.

World Food Programme (WFP) spokesman Brenda Barton said: "We've got our teams working ... we have our country directors here working on geographic targeting and food baskets for a regional appeal."

A recent joint regional food assessment identified 12,8 million people as needing food aid.

While world leaders and NGOs gather in Rome for the World Food Summit, closer to home a WFP statement said that in Zimbabwe it had reached 94.6 percent of the target 558,000 beneficiaries since February. However, there were no new pledges despite predictions that at least six million people could be in need by December.

In Zambia, up to 2.3 million people are in a "severe and critical" position, according to WFP spokeswoman Munyongo Munkata.

President Levy Mwanawasa has declared a national disaster and the WFP reported a "substantial" decline in maize production this season in Zambia's southern province, and parts of central, eastern and western provinces.

In Malawi, where up to 3.2 million could be affected by next year, food distribution plans are being finalised. WFP Malawi spokesman Wagdi Othman said: "We have a lot of food in place in Lilongwe and need to have that food sent to particular warehouses to start distribution. Priority areas include Mangochi, Dedza, Salima and the Lilongwe district in the central areas and some as far afield as Phalombe in the south.

"We're hoping that [distribution] will start on 20 June. We have some small distributions already at the nutritional rehabilitation units."

However, the WFP statement warned that maize prices in Malawi's southern region have started to increase. They usually start to increase in September and October. This puts shop-bought maize out of the reach of poor families.

Mozambique's north had good harvests but about 515,000 people in poor households in 43 districts of the southern and central regions still face food insecurity.

Of these, 355,000 require immediate food assistance from now through to March 2003, while a second group of 160,000 people will need help from September 2002, when their current-year harvest produce will be exhausted.

Yohannes Giorgis, a disaster management advisor with Mozambique's National Institute for Disaster Management, said the agency would see how the good harvest in some areas could be put to use in the badly affected southern parts of the country.

A boost for Mozambique came on Monday when Sweden pledged US $14 million for rural agricultural development over the next three years, AFP reported.

Further afield in Swaziland, a WFP Emergency Coordinator has been installed after it was found that some 144,000 people will require food aid after a severe drop in agricultural production, a fall in the number of job opportunities and rising prices.

In Angola relief agencies only have food to last until September for the more than one million people in need.

WFP Angola spokesman Marcelo Spina said for current assistance to continue beyond that, aid must be sent now for it to arrive by the beginning of October.

Meanwhile, at the Food Summit, South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki urged that all issues blocking Africa's access into the markets of the developed world have to be addressed.

"Speedy movement on this matter would yield early dividends with regard to the achievement of the goal of sustainable food security," Mbeki said in a speech prepared for delivery.

Mbeki said the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) placed special emphasis on the development of agriculture and this would assist in addressing food insecurity.

Another guest at the summit was Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe. Mugabe is banned from traveling to the European Union, but as the summit is organised by the United Nations, he is allowed to attend. At least six million people will need food aid in Zimbabwe, where Mugabe has declared a state of disaster due to widespread crop failure.