FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 06/01 - ERITREA* (18 June)
Planting of the 2001 cereal and pulse crops has just started. The main rains are expected to start from late June. Spring (short) rains from March to May were inadequate in many areas. These short rains are beneficial for early preparation of land and replenishment of pasture. The overall outlook for the current agricultural season remains uncertain with only part of the war displaced farming population being able to return so far and large tracts of land still inaccessible due to landmines. Overall, over one million people are estimated to have been displaced. By mid-May only 16 000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) had been resettled.
The food situation remains tight as a result of the war with Ethiopia and last year�s drought. The 2000 cereal crop was sharply reduced due to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of farmers from the agriculturally rich regions of Gash Barka and Debub, which account for more than 70 percent of cereal production.
Two Emergency Operations were jointly approved in April and May 2001 by FAO and WFP for emergency food assistance to about 1.8 million people affected by war and drought, worth a total sum of US$77 million for a period of 10 months (May 2001 to February 2002). The slow response to the Government�s appeal in February 2001 is a major concern with only a small fraction of the appeal of about US$224 million to assist nearly 2 million people for a period of twelve months received so far.
Food aid pledges for 2001 amount to 55 000 tonnes but no deliveries have been made as yet.