AFGHANISTAN* (21 September)
A recent FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission (CFSAM) reports that cereal harvest at just over 3 million tonnes is down by 43 percent on last year’s record harvest and 18 percent down on the average 1998 harvest. Drought conditions existed throughout the western, south-western, southern and parts of eastern Afghanistan, which damaged significant areas planted with cereals. In some parts of the mentioned regions the situation was similar to the worst drought years of 2000 and 2001. In the provinces north of the Hindukush mountains pests and diseases had damaged between 15-20 percent of the cereals. Pests and diseases had also affected significant areas of orchards and livestock. This year’s cereal harvest includes about 2.3 million tonnes of wheat, 310 000 tonnes of rice, 234 000 tonnes of maize and 220 000 tonnes of barley. At this level cereal import requirement for the 2004/05 marketing year is estimated at over 1.7 million tonnes. Domestic capacity to import is estimated at 1.4 million tonnes of cereals, which leaves a deficit of 326 000 tonnes of wheat equivalent cereals.
The National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA) indicates that about 35 percent (more than 6 million people) of the rural population are likely to face increased food insecurity and will require targeted food assistance. In addition to nearly 4 million people who will have access to employment and relief through national programmes, WFP’s Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) will target a total of 2.3 million vulnerable beneficiaries, including 1.4 million people targeted under the recent government/UN appeal. An estimated 153 000 tonnes of mixed food commodities with a monetary value of US$ 89 million will need to be resourced in order to assist the target beneficiaries during the 2004/05 marketing year.