In Mauritania, a joint FAO/CILSS Crop Assessment Mission in October 2001 estimated aggregate cereal production in 2001 at some 160 000 tonnes, lower than both the previous year and average. This decrease was mostly due to inadequate availability of irrigation water due to the low water level in the Senegal River which reached the flood level only in early September. By contrast, production in low-lying areas has increased compared to 2000 as all operational dams reached over 70 percent of capacity.

The tight food supply situation has been worsened by unseasonably heavy rains and cold weather which killed more than 120 000 head of livestock and damaged at least 6 000 tonnes of rice just harvested. Prices of cereals, which were already higher than a year ago, have risen considerably on most markets. WFP is currently assisting more than 300 000 people throughout the country.