Mostly dry weather in mid July severely affected newly planted crops. Following generally early and above normal rains in May in the south-east and in the rest of the country in June, precipitation decreased in early July and weather became almost completely dry during the second dekad of the month over the entire country. Rains resumed during the last dekad, except in the north-west, but remained generally below normal. In early August, the northern half of the country remained mostly dry. Cumulative rainfall as of late July is reported below normal everywhere except in the extreme south. Following the good early rains, land preparation and wet planting started earlier than usual in the south and the centre. The dry spell in mid-July is likely to have severely stressed crops and recently planted crops may have failed on large areas. Replantings will be necessary notably in the centre and the north but seed availability problems may occur.
Grasshoppers infestations are reported in Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack and Louga regions. Caterpillar attacks in mid-July have been treated by village teams.
The overall food supply situation is satisfactory, although markets in urban areas are better supplied than in rural areas. Prices of cereals are generally lower than last year but are starting to increase in several markets with the arrival of the lean season. The country imports large quantities of rice to cover its consumption requirement. External assistance may be required for the mobilization of cereals from the south to northern deficit areas. For the 1996/97 marketing year (November/October), the cereal import requirement is estimated at 650 000 tons, mostly rice and wheat and the food aid requirement at 22 000 tons. So far 10 000 tons have been pledged.