The output of the recently harvested secondary “Deyr” season cereal crop, normally accounting for some 25-30 percent of annual cereal production, is forecast at 141 000 tonnes, which is about 46 percent above the previous year’s harvest.

Despite the good “Deyr” harvest, however, the food supply situation in several parts including Gedo, East Sanag, Sool and parts of Bari gives cause for serious concern. Overall, more than 500 000 people are estimated to be facing severe food difficulties in Somalia, mainly due to past poor harvests due to successive droughts, long-term effects of insecurity and reduced foreign exchange earnings due to the continuing ban on livestock imports from eastern Africa by countries along the Arabian Peninsula.