SUDAN* (23 September)
Prospects for the 2003 crops to be harvested from September/October are still uncertain. In southern Sudan, early indications suggest an average crop, but precise results remain to be verified through crop assessments. Heavy rainfall in July in the eastern parts of the country resulted in flash floods that killed several people and caused damage to crops and property.
Recent reports indicate an infestation of tree and desert locust and quelea quelea birds in Western Sudan and River Nile states, which may cause serious crop losses.
The serious food shortages reported in several parts of the country are not expected to improve before the harvest, and, for farmers affected by last year's drought, such improvement will depend on a timely provision and assistance of agricultural inputs. Food security monitoring assessments conducted since January 2003 have confirmed that 1.9 million people in southern Sudan will need food assistance estimated at 101 000 tonnes until the next harvest in September/October 2003. About 700 000 of these were identified as highly food insecure and have been receiving food aid since January. In April 2003, an EMOP was jointly approved by FAO and WFP worth about US$130.97 million, for food assistance to nearly 3.25 million people for a period of twelve months (April 2003–March 2004). FAO also appealed for US$18.9 million in the 2003 Consolidated Appeal to provide for humanitarian food security programme, including emergency agricultural inputs. Donor response has generally been low, while the response to drought-prone areas has been less than 3 percent of the requested minimum requirement.
An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission has been planned to visit the country from early October to appraise the 2003 main season cereal production and estimate commercial imports/exports and food aid requirements in 2004.