THE GAMBIA (20 February)
The 2002 cereal production figures released by the government are significantly lower than the estimates of the joint FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission in October 2002 which indicated an average harvest. The aggregate output of cereals has been revised to some 139 000 tonnes, 30 percent less than last year and 8 percent below average.
An FAO/CILSS follow-up mission recently confirmed that millet prices, which increased steeply last year, are still at the same high level, reflecting the poor harvest in 2002/03 in the Gambia as well as in the whole of western Sahel region. These high local cereal prices make access to food difficult to many households, especially in rural areas.
Following the poor cereal harvest in the west of the Sahel, an Emergency Operation (EMOP) appeal was launched by FAO and WFP on 16 December 2002 for Cape Verde, the Gambia, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. The equivalent of 2 340 tonnes in cereals has been allocated for the Gambia. However, no pledge has been received to date.