Latest reports indicate a somewhat disappointing cereal harvest of 677 000 tonnes in 2001/02 marketing year, which is about 40 000 tonnes less than the poor harvest of the preceding year. Cereal harvest this year includes 216 000 tonnes of wheat and 400 000 tonnes of maize. Maize harvest improved somewhat due to improved precipitation during summer. Food aid would once again be necessary to fill the gap between consumption needs and supply.
WFP has distributed some 3 101 tonnes of food to 43 782 beneficiaries under 151 Food for Work (FFW) projects between August and September this year. The FFW projects were for land reclamation and rehabilitation of irrigation systems in 31 districts. The current PRRO is scheduled to end by March 2003. Following crop failure in Mestia district, western Georgia, WFP plans to distribute some 250 tons of food to 11 000 people, who are most affected.