Burundi Food Shortage Worsens

ROME - Mar 16/05 - SNS -- Burundi's decade-old conflict is expected to come to an end with the recent vote on a new constitution, but the country's aid needs will be 40% greater than last year, warns the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food program (WFP).

A joint FAO/WFP/UNICEF and Burundi government crop and food supply assessment report concluded that the country would face a total food deficit in 2005 of 310,000 metric tons (MT) of food (in cereal equivalent) compared to 259,000 MT last year, primarily because of unfavorable weather conditions since 2003, affecting maize and bean yields.

The food shortage was aggravated by the low production of traditional roots and tuberous crops such as yam, manioc (due to disease) and, to some extent, sweet potatoes.

With the 100% increase in prices of staple foods from last August, poor and vulnerable families have been completely unable to buy them. The food crisis is having a major impact on the nutritional situation. In January, supplementary feeding centers registered the highest number of admissions in three years.

Food shortages are particularly acute in the north, northeast and central provinces - areas traditionally regarded as Burundi's food basket. In these provinces, families have already resorted to selling their livestock and other assets, including the roofs of their houses, as well as migrating in search of casual labor or seeking alternative sources of food.

"This crisis comes just when Burundi is making some clear progress towards peace and stability," said Zlatan Milisic, WFP Country Director for Burundi. "After so many years of war, living conditions for most Burundians are very harsh and this drought is creating additional pressure on an already deeply impoverished people."

The food emergency has been worsening ever since the war broke out in 1993. The economy has been seriously debilitated, with high inflation and devaluation of the national currency. Roads and other key infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed, insecurity prevents the movement of people and farming has also been limited by insecurity. According to WFP's food security survey in September 2004, 16% of Burundi's total population of 7.6 million people are chronically short of food, while 68% live on the brink of chronic food shortages.

To address the food crisis and tackle the specific needs of the most affected people, WFP, FAO and other agencies plan to distribute 140,000 MT of food, 150,000 hoes as well as seeds to 369,000 families - the equivalent of 2 million people.

"To mitigate the impact of the gradual disappearance of cassava, the main inter-season crop, in certain provinces, FAO has embarked on a B-carotene-rich sweet potato cutting and healthy cassava material rapid propagation program for 120,000 households", said Mustafa S. Cassama, FAO Representative in Burundi. FAO is also planning to run a taro propagation program using indexed in vitro plant materials.