FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 09/01 - LESOTHO (10 September)
As a result of unfavourable weather, the 2001 cereal production was sharply reduced. Frost in early January, which severely damaged crops, was followed by a prolonged dry spell from mid-January, a heat wave and a hailstorm in parts. An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission that visited the country last May estimated the 2001 cereal production at 80 000 tonnes, 47 percent lower than in the previous year and 60 percent below the average of the past five years. Maize output was estimated at 58 000 tonnes while wheat and sorghum output was estimated at 11 000 tonnes each.
As a consequence of the reduced harvest, cereal import requirements have increased sharply to 332 000 tonnes of cereals, including 93 000 tonnes of wheat, 236 000 tonnes of maize and 3 000 tonnes of rice. Most of these requirements are expected to be covered on commercial basis. While the Mission estimated that there was no need for large-scale food aid, assistance is required in the mountain districts, where the frost damage was most severe. Worst affected districts are Mokhotlong, Thaba-Tseka, Mohale�s Hoek and Quthing, where farmers have lost their crops and a significant number do not have adequate means to access food. This group, representing some 10-15 percent of rural households, will need food assistance and seeds for planting in the next season.