FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops and Shortages 06/02 - MOZAMBIQUE (4 June)
An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission visited the country from 21 April to 10 May 2002 and found that severe dry weather during the 2001/02 cropping season sharply reduced crop yields in southern and parts of central Mozambique. In the main cereal growing areas of the northern region and remaining parts of the central region, abundant and well distributed rains led to increased production of cereals. Overall, the 2002 cereal output was estimated by the mission at 1.71 million tonnes, 5 percent above last year, and maize output at 1.24 million tonnes, an increase of 8 percent. An exportable maize surplus in northern and central areas was projected at 100 000 tonnes.
Approximately 515 000 people in poor households in 43 districts of the Southern and Central regions are facing severe food insecurity due to drought-devastated agricultural production and exhaustion of their coping abilities over the last four years. These severely food insecure people require food aid totaling 70 050 tonnes between now and April 2003. Emergency provision of agricultural inputs such as seeds is also urgently required to enable drought affected farming families to restart agricultural production during the main planting season starting in October 2002.