Following generally below-average rainfall until late October, harvest prospects are uncertain. However, the overall food supply situation is satisfactory reflecting satisfactory harvests in 2000 and 2001. Markets are well supplied.
The presence of a large refugee population and the persistent instability in the sub-region have exacted a heavy toll on the country. According to WFP, some 30 000 new Liberian refugees entered the country since the beginning of the year, of whom 80 percent were women and children. Following armed clashes in and around the country over the period September 2000 – March 2001, there are still some 82 000 IDPs, mainly concentrated in Kissigougou, Macenta and Gueckedou Prefectures. Approximately 45 000 Liberian refugees in camps are currently receiving WFP assistance. Some 5 000 Liberians are also being assisted by WFP outside the camps in areas close to the Guinean-Liberian border waiting for transfer to the camps by UNHCR. New refugees have entered Guinea from Côte d’Ivoire into the Kankan and N’Zérékoré regions.
Cereal import requirement for the 2002 marketing year is estimated at 331 000 tonnes.