MADAGASCAR (15 September)
Despite the satisfactory growing conditions for the 2003 main paddy crop in the northern and central areas, drought in the southern provinces has sharply affected the production of maize, which is the main staple here. The government has estimated the number of people in the south who will require food assistance after the poor harvest at about 600 000. WFP is assisting the 270 000 most affected persons from September–December in 18 districts in the south. The government is selling rice is at subsidized prices.
The recent surge in international prices of vanilla, a commodity which accounts for some 10 percent of the country’s GDP, is expected to help to revive an economy badly affected by the political crisis in 2002.