FAO/GIEWS: Africa Report Part III, No.2, August 2001 RWANDA 35

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RWANDA

Area:
25 000 sq.km
Climate:
Highland rainy climate with moderate temperature (200C); two rainy seasons: February-May and September-November
Population:
8.34 million (2001 estimate); G.N.P. per caput: US$250 (1999)
Specific characteristics of the country:
Low-income food-deficit country; land-locked country
Logistics:
Ports: Mombasa (Kenya) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania); roads and railway inadequate
Major foodcrops:
Roots, tubers, pulses, plantains, sorghum, maize
Marketing year:
January/December; Lean season: November-December
Share of cereals in total calorie intake:
25 percent

CURRENT SITUATION

Preliminary indications of the recently harvested 2001 A season crop point to a food output around or slightly lower than the good level of last year. Despite a delay to the start of the rainy season, precipitation was abundant and well distributed from mid-October to December. Although excessive rains in November resulted in floods and crop losses, mainly in Gisenyi and Butare Prefectures, they generally benefited plantings and yields, particularly of cereals and pulses. Production of roots and tubers and banana and plantains was less satisfactory reflecting shortages of planting material and prolonged dry weather. Also despite the overall positive picture, a poor harvest was gathered in the Bugasera region of Kigali Rural Province, due to seed shortages following successive reduced crops. A locally-organized Government/FAO/WFP/EU Mission has assessed this season's food production but its findings are not yet available.

The tight food supply situation has eased with the new harvest. Prices of maize, beans and Irish potatoes have decreased from their levels of a year ago. However, despite the overall improvement in the food situation, emergency food assistance is anticipated to be needed until the next harvest for people in the Bugesera region, particularly in Kanzenze and Gashora districts. WFP plans to distribute 13 000 tonnes of emergency food assistance for three months to 267 000 drought-affected people in southeast Rwanda. While stringent controls have contained the outbreak of food-and-mouth disease in Umutara, marketing restrictions are causing economic difficulties for pastoralist households.

CEREAL SUPPLY/DEMAND BALANCE FOR THE 2001 MARKETING YEAR (in thousand tonnes)

 
Wheat
Rice
Coarse grains
Total
Previous five years average production
6
7
182
195
Previous five years average imports
15
13
182
210
2001 Domestic Availability
8
8
219
235
2001 Production (rice in paddy terms)
8
12
219
239
2001 Production (rice in milled terms)
8
8
219
235
Possible stock drawdown
-
-
-
-
2001 Utilization
23
18
369
410
Food use
23
17
348
388
of which: local purchase requirement
-
-
1
1
Non-food use
-
1
21
22
Exports or re-exports
-
-
-
-
Possible stock build up
-
-
-
-
2001 Import Requirement
15
10
150
175
Anticipated commercial imports
15
10
90
115
Food aid needs
-
-
60
60
Current Aid Position
       
Food aid pledges
-
-
19
19
of which: delivered
-
-
16
16
Donor-financed purchases
-
-
1
1
of which: for local use
-
-
1
1
for export
-
-
-
-
Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/year)
3
2
42
47
Indexes
       
2001 Production as % of average:
     
123
2001 Import requirement as % of average:
     
83

FAO/GIEWS - August 2001

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