Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 6/12/2003

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U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network

CONTENT:

1 - CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: WFP food aid for HIV/AIDS-affected people

2 - SOUTHERN AFRICA: Feature on regional food crisis

1 - CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: WFP food aid for HIV/AIDS-affected people

BANGUI, 12 June (PLUSNEWS) - The UN World Food Programme (WFP) will

provide enriched food rations to HIV/AIDS infected or affected people from

July, to help them resist opportunistic diseases, the agency's

representative in the Central African Republic (CAR), Bulman, told

PlusNews on Wednesday.

Bulman said the agency met on Wednesday with government officials,

representatives of NGOs and other experts dealing with HIV/AIDS in the

country to " ask them in what way food can be best used in support of

HIV-affected people " .

He said the WFP food project targeted 12,000 people across the country,

who had already been identified by NGOs providing them with medical and

social aid. The project is expected to last 15 months, and will benefit

those who are infected, orphaned or widowed by HIV/AIDS.

" People who are infected by HIV/AIDS need some significant nutritional

support in order to fight all the diseases that come along with AIDS, " he

said.

A WFP nutritionist, Willy Mpoy, told PlusNews on Wednesday that the food

rations would comprise maize meal, corn-soya blend flour enriched with

vitamins, beans, oil, sugar and salt.

" The ration will be much richer than what people normally eat, " he said.

Cassava is the country's staple food.

According to a HIV/AIDS mapping carried out by the Institut Pasteur in

December 2002, 14.8 percent of CAR nationals were HIV-positive.

Bulman said that many HIV/AIDS patients spent a lot money fighting

opportunistic diseases to the extent that they ended up lacking money for

food. He added that the WFP food would also contribute to the eradication

of stigma against HIV-infected people.

" Patients will be bringing rations home and this will give them more value

in the community, " he said.

[ENDS]

2 - SOUTHERN AFRICA: Feature on regional food crisis

JOHANNESBURG, 12 June (PLUSNEWS) - Southern Africa still requires

substantial aid for at least 6.2 million people, the UN World Food

Programme (WFP) and Food Agricultural Organisation (FAO) warned on

Thursday.

This was despite increased agricultural output, with the region having

produced about two-thirds of its basic food requirements this year.

Last year aid agencies estimated that more than 15 million people required

food aid due to a combination of factors, most notably drought and the

impact of HIV/AIDS on food production.

At a press conference in Johannesburg on Thursday, WFP and FAO said that

while the situation in most countries had improved, Zimbabwe's food

production was worse than last year's and regional disparities in food

production had created pockets of need.

The latest crop and food supply assessments in Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland,

Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia found that " the general food security

situation [was] improving " , a joint FAO/WFP statement said.

It noted, however, that food production was " uneven, with Zimbabwe

producing barely enough to meet 30 percent of its needs " .

" The region continues to need food assistance in all six countries

affected by this [the food shortages] ... we are still in a crisis, " said

WFP regional representative Judith .

The region's agricultural sector was " still very dependent on rain " ; there

were also " major macro-economic issues and policy constraints " hampering

efforts to get food to everyone needing it in Southern Africa.

ZIMBABWE FACES ACUTE SHORTAGES

This was evident in the situation faced by Zimbabwe.

" Zimbabwe faces acute food shortages, with some 5.5 million people in need

of food aid. Food production in Zimbabwe has fallen by more than 50

percent, measured against a five-year average, due mostly to the current

social, economic and political situation and the effects of drought, " the

FAO/WFP statement noted.

These conditions were " compounded by the marked reduction of the

large-scale farm sector [a consequence of the ongoing land reform

programme], which produced only about one-tenth of their 1990s output " .

" As a result, about half of the regional food deficit of 2.2 million mt is

in Zimbabwe. The shortfall means that Zimbabwe will need to import almost

1.3 million mt of food, either commercially or through food aid, to meet

the minimum food needs of its people, " the agencies explained.

FAO official Graham Farmer said there was a deficit of hybrid maize seed

in Zimbabwe. This could " partly be made up by additional seed production

in South Africa, and maybe Malawi and Zambia as well " . He stressed that it

was critical to get seed to farmers in Zimbabwe.

IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS

The impact of HIV/AIDS in the region had exacerbated the food security

crisis. " We have 4 million orphans in this region and we have noticed an

escalation of child-headed households and households headed by

grandparents, usually a single grandparent, " noted.

" The most productive segment of the population is dying ... people between

the ages of 15 and 49, " added.

Women, because of their role as primary providers in the majority of

households, were doubly affected by the disease.

" HIV/AIDS infection rates in Southern Africa are the highest in the world,

making those infected all the more vulnerable to health complications and

death when food shortages occur, and affecting the lives and livelihoods

of communities as a whole, " the FAO/WFP statement added.

REGIONAL OUTLOOK

noted that while " the needs for food aid were consistently lower

than last year [in the six countries] ... Zimbabwe and Mozambique still

have large numbers of people that are going to need general food

distributions and non-food items such as water and health services " .

The FAO's Henri Josserand said the " big difference from last year is that

some countries have done well - Zambia and Malawi and even Mozambique,

have all produced quite a lot of food " .

" But production at the national level does not mean that everyone will

have adequate access to food. In Mozambique, production is higher than the

five-year average - the northern part of the country has a lot of food.

They don't know what to do with it. However, in southern Mozambique they

are facing a major crisis. For Mozambique, this is the third year of food

shortages because of drought and floods, " he added.

The FAO/WFP joint assessment had found that " in Mozambique, food

production surged in the north of the country, but parts of the south and

central region continue to face serious food shortages, affecting 949,000

people in 40 districts " .

The reason for the regional disparities within Mozambique was simply that

" Mozambique is very large, and the transport infrastructure is very weak

[following 20 years of civil war], so it is extremely expensive to move

large quantities of food to the south, " Josserand explained.

Meanwhile, Malawi's crop production had " improved significantly " since the

widespread food shortages in 2002. This year it managed to produce, or has

in reserve, about 2.3 million mt of cereals, leaving a national shortfall

of 90,000 mt, WFP and FAO found.

In Zambia, cereal production was estimated at 1.16 million mt, about

double the output of 2002.

Cereal production in the region increased from 5.4 million mt in 2001/02

to 6.4 million mt this year.

But some areas in Swaziland and Lesotho continued to face shortages, the

agencies noted.

REGIONAL NEED

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) deputy executive

secretary, Albert Muchunga, said it was forecast that 6.2 million people

would require food aid in 2003/04 - a significant decrease from the more

than 15 million people aid agencies said needed food aid to survive at the

height of the past year's food security crisis.

However, pointed out that " needs grow between harvests " and the

figure of 6.2 million could grow to " 7, 8 or 9 million " .

also stressed the need for donors and governments to assist with

delivering agricultural inputs for the coming cropping season as quickly

as possible.

" Yes, we made a Herculean effort [in responding to the crisis last year],

however, there's still much, much work to be done in the next year. We

have to continue our relief efforts and [at the same time] integrate

longer-term [developmental] needs, " noted.

AVOIDING CHRONIC FOOD SHORTAGES

The agencies observed that " for the region to resume agricultural growth,

increased and carefully targeted support will be needed for the

agriculture sectors of the six countries " .

Josserand explained that this year's production increases were a " partial

recovery " .

" The gains made this year in food production are limited and very

fragile - we are very concerned about next year as well. This year there

was rain [and the FAO], along with SADC, has made efforts to give inputs

to farmers. We are very concerned because the agricultural sectors are

weak. Even if we have good rains [over the next cropping season], we have

to work very hard to make sure we have enough food to feed people, "

Josserand added.

noted that the Consolidated Appeal for Southern Africa would be

launched in July. This would outline strategies and interventions planned

by agencies to meet the need in the region.

With regard to preventing food shortages from becoming chronic throughout

the region, said it was clear that " this region does not want to be

dependent on foreign assistance " .

The challenge that lay ahead was integrating emergency relief programming

with longer-term developmental goals: " We're in transition, we're

[focussing] not just on relief, " she said.

" That we've been able to avert a major crisis gives us a lot of hope. But

there's still millions who need help, " concluded.

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED

Josserand highlighted continued concern over future harvest prospects.

" We need to act quickly for the next planting season, which starts in

September. If we are to get seeds to farmers in time, we have to act now!

We have to get the money to buy the seeds, to transport them and

distribute them to the people who need them. Otherwise all the gains of

the past year will be reversed, " he warned.

He described the current gains in production as a " temporary respite " .

Josserand also noted the impact of the crisis on chronic poverty.

" It works in two ways: when the [agricultural] market is very depressed,

people have produced little [in terms of crops to sell], so they have

little money [to buy essentials]; secondly, chronic poverty is a reason

for poor production, because poor people do not have access to inputs

[like fertiliser], " he said.

Providing people with agricultural inputs was the " number one " concern of

the FAO at the moment.

[ENDS]

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