FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 11/00 - LIBERIA* (6 November)
Rainfall was below normal from mid-August to early October, although it was widespread. However, above-average rains were received countrywide from the second dekad of October. With the exception of Lofa County, relative peace in most areas has facilitated farming. The rice crop, the main staple, is generally developing satisfactorily and cultivated areas are anticipated to have increased. A GIEWS Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission will visit the country in late November/early December to estimate 2000 crop production and assess the current food supply situation.
Fighting in northern Lofa County intensified in October and displaced thousands of people, notably in the towns of Gorlu, Ganglota and Selayae, many of whom need humanitarian assistance. Security remains precarious. WFP is distributing food aid to about 420 000 Liberian returnees. It is estimated that about three quarters of Internally Displaced Persons have returned home while the remaining quarter settled where they were. UNHCR is also assisting 33 000 Sierra Leonean refugees in camps in Montserrado and Sinje areas in Grand Cape Mount County.
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