FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 04/01 - NIGER (9 April)
Seasonably dry conditions prevail. Off-season gardening remained limited due to insufficient water. The statistical services have released the final 2000 production figures. Cereal output is estimated at 2 143 000 tonnes, which is 25 percent below the 1999 level and about 10 percent below the average of the previous five years.
Following this below-average harvest, the food supply situation is tight in the traditionally food deficit areas. Markets are generally well supplied but prices of cereals increased significantly in March. Migration of men from their villages in search of jobs or food is reported in Tillabery department. The at- risk zones are mainly in Agadez and northern Diffa, Tahoua, Maradi, Tillabery (notably in Ouallam and Tillabery) and Zinder departments. In late March, the Government launched an appeal for international assistance. The government and donors are selling millet and sorghum at a subsidized price (about 15-35 percent lower than the prevailing market price) in the areas that experienced production shortfalls.
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