FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops and Shortages 06/02 - GEORGIA (29 May)
Winter crops suffered significant damage due exceptionally cold and dry winter and strong windstorms, while insufficient precipitation and water availability may compromise summer crop harvest. Therefore, cereal harvest this year is estimated at 577 000 tonnes, which is about 140 000 tonnes less than the somewhat improved harvest of the preceding year. Drought and structural problems have affected food production in the past few years when food aid has been necessary to fill the critical shortfall in food availability. This year’s forecast harvest is based on the assumption that drought does not affect summer crops as much as it did in 2000 when the country produced less than half the average harvest. Heavy precipitations in spring 2002 have partly damaged the crop in East Georgia (wheat) whereas they delayed plantings (maize) in West Georgia (only some 70 percent of the land had been sown by the end of May).
Activities under the WFP Emergency Operation originally in favour of the 2000 drought affected people are just completed in all the six targeted regions. Three rounds of free food distribution have been carried out in the five regions of East Georgia plus Imereti in West Georgia and two additional rounds were conducted in the latter, following the drought that affected it in July 2001 for the second consecutive year. A total of 184 community work projects, mostly rehabilitation of irrigation channels and feeder roads have been implemented since October 2001. Between February 2001 and May 2002, a total of 41 300 tons of food was distributed to 527 720 vulnerable persons including participants in community work projects.
Within the framework of the current WFP PRRO, FFW projects are on-going in three out of the five targeted regions. A total of 10 500 tonnes of mixed food is planned to be distributed to an average of 15 800 workers and their family (4 person ration) as a payment for their regions. The PRRO is scheduled to be finished at the end of March 2003. Up-to-date 90 percent of total commitment has been resourced.