NIGER (24 May)
Land preparation is underway and first planting has started in the extreme south, following first rains in May. Planting will progress northwards with the onset of the rains. Availability of seeds may be limited in the regions hard hit last year by desert locust invasion and poor rainfall. Desert locusts remain a serious threat, although FAO is not expecting a large-scale invasion this year.
The food situation has been worsening in drought- and desert locust-affected regions of the country, in spite of steps taken by the Government. Millet prices continue to climb, while livestock prices have been falling. This reduces access to main food staples by vulnerable households, notably pastoral and agro-pastoral groups, which were hit especially hard by drought and desert locusts.
The Government has been selling cereals at subsidised prices in affected communities. Although the resources of the national crisis mitigation mechanism have already been completely depleted, the impact of the operation on the overall food situation is very limited. In early April, “Médecins sans frontiers” warned that severe child malnutrition was increasing rapidly in the Maradi and Tahoua districts, with rising admissions at supplementary feeding centres. In response to the crisis, several actions have been taken at international level: FAO launched an appeal for funds to provide agricultural inputs and to assist pastoralists, while UNICEF and WFP appealed for funds to feed some 2.5 million people officially estimated to be at risk of food shortage, including about 800 000 children. Pledges are reportedly still short of requirements. Additional food aid pledges and deliveries are urgently needed to arrest to the worsening situation.