KENYA* (1 May)
Prospects for the 2004 main “long rains” season crops are generally favourable. Weather forecasts indicate that major cereal producing areas of the country were likely to receive normal to above normal rains while more marginal agricultural districts of North Rift, North Eastern, Eastern and Coast Provinces were likely to receive normal to below normal rains. Ministry of Agriculture preliminary forecast for the long rains crop is put at about 2.28 million tonnes, nearly 11 percent above average. Recent heavy rains and floods, mainly around River Nyando in the west have resulted in several deaths and damage to crops, livestock and property.
The recently harvested 2003/04 secondary “short rains” maize crop is estimated at a slightly below average 360 000 tonnes of maize. This crop provides the main source of food in parts of Central and Eastern provinces. Maize prices stabilised in March coinciding with the short rains harvest but are still higher than average. With the anticipated maize deficit prices are expected to rise in the next several weeks. The early long rains harvest is not expected to start until late July 2004