A preliminary report on an assessment undertaken by a mission from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) describes agricultural production in Mozambique for the 2003/2004 campaign as satisfactory.
The two organizations will publish their final report on this matter in Rome next month.
The independent mission, cited in Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias", notes that, despite the late start to the rainy season, the abundance of rain compensated for the delay, thus yielding satisfactory results.
The report says that the late rainfall harmed the production of rice in the central and northern regions but, on the other hand, there was good maize production.
The mission notes, however, that some areas, including the southern parts of Tete province, adjacent districts in Manica, some areas in Zambezia, and the coastal areas of the northern province of Nampula, may need monitoring or food assistance, because of poor rainfall. In Nampula, this setback was compounded with the brown streak virus, that affected the production of cassava, a staple food in that province.
Other areas affected by pests or disease include the districts of Chibabava and Buzi, in Sofala province.
In the southern region of the country, seriously affected by drought during the previous two campaigns, agricultural production was higher than expected, thanks to the commitment of peasant farmers in replanting the crops lost to the drought.
The mission also is looking ahead to good results from the second sowing season, because of the prevailing humidity from the late rains.
As for agricultural markets, the mission found that there are surpluses in the districts bordering on Malawi, particularly in Milange, in Zambezia province. Crops from Milange are much sought after by Malawian business people.
The central region is also supplying the south, particularly through informal vendors.
Looking at the harvest from the 2003/2004 campaign, the mission expects a significant improvement in terms of food security in the country.
Fonte: AIM
