SENEGAL (2 June)
Seasonably dry conditions prevail in most parts.
Aggregate cereal production in 2002 is estimated at about 851 300 tonnes, 11 percent less than the previous year and 8 percent less than the average of the previous five years. Following this relatively poor harvest, supplies of coarse grains are very tight, notably in rural areas. As a result, cereal prices which increased sharply last year are still at the same high levels, which make access to food for many households very difficult.
In response to the tight food supply situation, the Government released CFA 15 billion (US$ 23 million) for purchase and distribution of about 54 000 tonnes of rice to the most affected rural households. Senegal is a beneficiary of WFP’s Regional EMOP launched in December 2002 for 5 drought-affected countries in the west of the Sahel, with an allocation of 3 000 tonnes of food for 23 300 most affected people.