FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 04/00 - TOGO (29 March)
First seasonal rains were received in the south and the centre during the second dekad of March, allowing land preparation and planting of the first maize crop. Reflecting widespread and above-normal rains during the 1999 growing season, the aggregate output of cereals in 1999 is estimated at a record 748 000 tonnes (with rice in paddy form) which is 27 percent above 1998 level. Maize production increased sharply, notably in Savanes, Plateaux and Kara regions. Production of tubers and beans also increased.
Following this record crop, the overall food supply situation is satisfactory. However, floods affected the regions of Kara (in the north), Plateaux (in the west), Maritime (in the south) and Savanes (in the extreme north). The worst affected region is Savanes where at least 1 000 hectares of arable land have been inundated, isolating villages and affecting an estimated 42 000 people.