4 MILLION PEOPLE FOOD INSECURE IN MADAGASCAR- FAO

As many
as 4 million people in rural areas
of Madagascar are food insecure
following this year's reduced
harvest. Production of rice – the
Indian Ocean island's staple –
and maize has been badly hit by
erratic weather and a locust
invasion. A further 9.6 million
people are at risk of food
insecurity, say two United
Nations agencies.
The extent of the island's food
crisis is revealed in a report from
the joint Crop and Food Security
Assessment Mission conducted in
June/July by the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO)
and the World Food Programme
(WFP). This blamed the poor
agricultural season on a
combination of factors: erratic
weather conditions last year,
cyclones early this year – causing
flooding – followed by a period
of poor rains.
Also cited by the mission was the
devastation caused by a locust
plague. This has both damaged
crops and discouraged farmers
from planting. The south of the
island - already a chronically
food-insecure area - has been
particularly badly affected.
Although locust damage in areas
affected was extensive, the
impact at the national level was
more limited as cold weather
halted locust migration to the
more productive northern
regions.
Rice production declined by 21
percent this year, say FAO and
WFP, resulting in a national rice
deficit of 240 000 metric tons for
the 2013/14 marketing year.
Maize production in 2013 will
also not satisfy domestic
requirements, and an estimated
28 000 metric tons of imported
maize will be required to help
bridge the deficit.
Swift locust control measures are
crucial to avert further
destruction of crops, preventing
a potentially larger impact on
national production in 2014, says
the joint UN report.
A three-year locust control
programme, run by FAO and the
Government of Madagascar,
started on the island at the end
of September with aerial surveys
to identify and map out locust
populations. Procurement of
pesticides, vehicles and
equipment for survey and control
operations is in progress and
spraying is expected to start by
late October. This aims to reduce
locust populations through the
treatment of more than two
million hectares of infested land