MADAGASCAR (19 May)
During this cyclone season Madagascar was hit by cyclone Gafilo in early March and cyclone Elita in January and again in February causing large-scale damage in the north-eastern part of the island. Latest Government assessment indicates that 774 000 people have been affected and over 300 000 hectares of farm land, covering vanilla, paddy and other crops, have been damaged. A joint FAO/WFP/Ministry of Agriculture assessment of the impact of cyclones on food security and food production is currently underway. In other parts of the country, heavy rains during February helped the paddy crop. UN Inter-Agency Consolidated Appeal for US$8.7 million has been issued including FAO’s agriculture sector component of US$1.15 million and WFP’s food assistance component of US$5.5 million to help the victims of recent flooding. The southern parts of the island, on the other hand, have suffered from prolonged dry weather especially early in the season. Thus, the prospects for main season crops are uncertain. Preliminary reports from the EU-funded early warning system indicate that some 2 000 tonnes of food aid will be needed to assist some 74 000 people during the September 2004-April 2005 lean period.