Food needs

In its monthly Greater Horn of Africa Food Security Summaries January-February, the USAID supported Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) indicated that the food situation in Ethiopia had generally improved compared to the enormous amount of emergency aid needed last year. In previous years, the provision of food-aid assistance had been a primary concern of Ethiopia and donors, but the government had this year put emphasis on recovery and rehabilitation, the report said.

On 23 January, the government appealed for 639,246 mt of food aid to feed 6.2 million people affected by drought, crop and livestock loss and asset depletion. The report said the pastoral areas of southern Ethiopia and the 'belg-dependent' (seasonal rains) areas of the Amhara Region, South and North Wollo, stretching northward through Eastern Tigray, remained the most acutely food insecure. Early 'belg' rains had already begun in the southwest, including South Omo north to Konso, Dirashe and Sidoma.

Cloudiness and rainfall had begun to increase over all of central Ethiopia, FEWS said. The monthly report said market prices had dropped "significantly" following a better than expected seasonal harvest ('mehr'). "According to traders interviewed by FEWS NET grain supplies to the main terminal harvests are much higher than demand, as evidenced by the low prices," the report said.