Erratic rains affect current crops

Meanwhile, the 2-9 November assessment mission found that crops from the current 2000 A agricultural season were “in very bad shape” in eastern and southern zones, which experienced a prolonged dry period between end-September and the beginning of November, the FAO report said. But the mission also found a tangible increase in areas planted this season in the northwest, where crops were scarcely affected by a relatively short dry period.

The assessment team - comprising the ministry of agriculture, FAO, WFP, USAID, the European Union and the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) - recommended that a further agricultural assessment be conducted in December to determine food aid needs for the period after the January 2000 harvest. FAO also proposed that seeds, tools and livestock be urgently provided to 100,000 vulnerable households.