Food-producing provinces under strain

The latest FAO food security update, received by IRIN, said food production in Equateur province had diminished, while insecurity and other factors had limited the transportation of goods from there to the capital. Similarly, the war disrupted the 1998/99 A season in Bas-Congo province and exports of locally-produced goods to Brazzaville have increased. Bandundu, the only source of food for Kinshasa’s population that remained in full agricultural production, was now also meeting requests from the Kasais, and it is unclear how long the province will be able to send significant quantities to the capital, the report said.

The situation may lead farmers in the food-producing provinces to sell all their supplies without keeping the necessary quantities for their own consumption or sufficient seeds for use in the next harvest, the report said. Meanwhile, the presence of imported goods on Kinshasa markets had diminished since the recent introduction of foreign currency regulations, which has negatively impacted the food security level of the population, it added.