FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages, February 1998

AFFECTED COUNTRIES

UNFAVOURABLE PROSPECTS FOR CURRENT CROPS 1/

Country	Harvest date	Main contributory factors
Colombia	Jan./Mar.	Reduced plantings, adverse weather (second season crop)
Cook Islands	Apr./Nov.	Drought
Cuba	Dec./Feb.	Adverse weather
Indonesia	Mar./May	Drought
Lesotho	Mar./Apr.	Adverse weather, reduced plantings
Papua New Guinea	Mar./Jan.	Drought
Philippines	May./Jun.	Drought
Sierra Leone*	Sept./Dec.	Civil strife
Solomon Islands	Jan./Dec.	Drought
Thailand	Jun./Jul.	Drought

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1/ Main crop unless otherwise indicated.

SHORTFALLS IN FOOD SUPPLIES IN CURRENT MARKETING YEAR REQUIRING EXCEPTIONAL AND/OR EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE

- Afghanistan* (July/June), Angola* (Apr./Mar.), Armenia* (July/June), Azerbaijan (July/June), Bosnia-Herzegovina* (July/June), Burkina Faso (Nov./Oct.) Burundi* (Jan./Dec.), Republic of Congo (Jan./Dec.), Democratic Republic of Congo* (Jan./Dec.), El Salvador (Aug./July)), Eritrea* (Jan./Dec.), Ethiopia* (Jan./Dec.), The Gambia (Nov./Oct.), Georgia* (Jan./Dec.), Guatemala (July/June), Haiti* (July/June), Honduras (July/June), Iraq* (July/June), Kenya (Oct./Sept.), Korea, D.P.R.* (Nov./Oct.), Laos* (Jan./Dec.), Liberia* (Jan./Dec.), Mauritania* (Nov./Oct), Mongolia* (Oct./Sept.), Mozambique* (May/Apr.), Nicaragua (July/June), Niger (Nov./Oct.), Panama (Jul./Jun.) Papua New Guinea (July/June), Rwanda* (Jan./Dec.), Senegal (Nov./Oct.), Sierra Leone* (Jan./Dec.), Somalia* (Sept./Aug.), Sudan* (Nov./Oct.), Tajikistan* (July/June), Tanzania (June/May), Uganda (Jan./Dec.)

DISTRIBUTION OF LOCAL AND/OR EXPORTABLE SURPLUSES REQUIRING EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE:

- Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, Senegal

NOTES:

(i)	New countries included in this report compared to the November/December 1997 report, are underlined.
(ii)	Countries with unfavourable prospects for current crop and/or uncovered shortfalls are marked in bold.
(iii)	Countries affected or threatened by successive bad crops or food shortages are marked with an asterisk (*).

DEFINITIONS:

"Unfavourable Prospects for Current Crops": Refer to prospects of a shortfall in production of current crops as a result of a reduction of the area planted and/or adverse weather conditions, plant pests, diseases and other calamities which indicate a need for close monitoring of the crops for the remainder of the growing season.
"Shortfalls in Food Supplies in Current Marketing Year Requiring Exceptional External Assistance": Refer to an exceptional shortfall in aggregate supplies or a localized deficit as a result of crop failures, natural disasters, interruption of imports, disruption of distribution, excessive post-harvest losses, other supply bottlenecks and/or an increased demand for food arising from population movements within the country or an influx of refugees. In the case of an exceptional shortfall in aggregate food supplies, exceptional and/or emergency food aid may be required to cover all or part of the deficit.
"Distribution of Local and/or Exportable Surpluses Requiring External Assistance": Refers to a situation of an exceptional surplus existing in a particular area of a country which needs to be transported to deficit areas in the same country or the neighbouring countries for which purpose external assistance is required.