Crop production increased by 30 percent

Abundant rainfall in Rwanda, especially in the central and eastern regions, has produced a 30 percent overall increase in crop production in the period from September to January in comparison with the same period the previous year, the Famine and Early Warning System (FEWSNET) reported last week.

Despite the large increase, however, the calorie and protein equivalents of the crops produced increased by only 24 percent, due to a lower increase in higher-value crops such as cereals and legumes, as compared to bananas, sweet potatoes and cassava, FEWSNET added.

The current high levels of production had resulted from favourable climatic conditions, including a particularly abundant rainfall, as opposed to an intensification of agricultural production. This means that production could decrease just as easily as it increased, depending on weather conditions, FEWSNET warned.

For the January-June 2002 period, the daily per-capita calorie availability is expected to be around 2,050 kilocalories, almost meeting the international standard of 2,100 kilocalories per capita.

All provinces are not, however, self-sufficient. Pockets of food insecurity remain particularly in the three provinces of Gikongoro, Butare and Gisenyi, which account for 26 per cent of the Rwandan population.

Food assistance must be conducted in a "finely targeted manner", and food should be purchased in the country or the relevant region, the agency recommended.

A major constraint to buying food in Rwanda is that the surplus production comes mainly from bananas, sweet potatoes and cassava, which are all bulky and do not conserve well, and do not, therefore, lend themselves easily to food aid distributions.