Rainfall was widespread in June, excepted during the second dekad in the south, increased in late June/early July and remained abundant. Rains stopped from mid July to the end of the month over the south and resumed in August. Milllet and sorghum are maturing and the harvest of the first maize crop is underway in the west and the centre.
The cereal import requirement for 1996 (including re-export) is estimated at 325 000 tons mostly wheat and rice.
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (21 August)
Widespread and abundant rainfall in June and July allowed the planting of millet in the north and rice in the south-east. The harvest of the first maize crop is drawing to an end while the second maize crop is being planted.
In mid-April a mutiny started in the army and disrupted trade activities in the capital. After a peace agreement in early June, the situation has now returned to normal. Following a good harvest in 1995, the overall food supply situation is satisfactory.
For the 1995/96 marketing year (September/August), the cereal import requirement is estimated at 34 000 tons, mainly wheat and rice. There are 27 000 assisted Sudanese refugees in the country, and more are still arriving. Approximately 5 000 Chadians also receive a food assistance.
Dry conditions prevailed in the south and the centre and rains were light in the north in June and July. Precipitation resumed during the first two dekads of August over the centre and the north. The first maize crop has been harvested. The overall food supply situation is satisfactory. Staple foodcrops are roots, tubers and plantains and markets are well supplied with these crops. Cereal production is estimated at some 27 000 tons, mainly maize. For the 1995/96 marketing year (July/June), the cereal import requirement is estimated at 108 000 tons, mostly wheat, and structural food aid requirement at 3 000 tons.
Rains were abundant in early June, stopped during the second dekad and resumed during the third dekad. Dry conditions prevailed in July and August. The staple foodcrops are sweet potatoes, cassava and plantains and the country annually imports some 11 000 tons of wheat and rice, half of which is in the form of food aid.
Light rains occurred in late June and precipitation stopped. Dry conditions prevailed from mid June to mid-August. The staple foodcrops are cassava and plantains. Production of cereals, mainly maize is estimated at around 26 000 tons. The country needs to import the bulk of its wheat and rice requirement which is estimated at 62 000 tons. No food aid is necessary.
Following abundant rains in July and the first half of August, rice is being planted in the north as well as the first maize crop in the centre. Dry conditions prevail in the south where rice and the second maize crop have been harvested.
In the eastern region, the security situation is worsening and becoming precarious. Following the escalation of violence and a coup in Burundi, many families are moving to Uvira. Current estimates point to about 727 000 Rwandan refugees in Goma camps, 313 000 in Bukavu and 183 000 in Uvira, who are receiving food assistance. As of the end of July, some 12 508 refugees, mostly Burundian, had arrived in Uvira during the month. In mid-August, the Zairian and Rwandan governments decided to close refugee camps in Zaire by the end of May 1997. In the Masisi region, it is estimated that up to 200 000 people have been forced to leave their homes. and about 116 000 are being assisted. Approximately 50 000 refugees, mostly Tutsis, have fled this area and crossed the border into Rwanda. Whole villages have been deserted and the conflict between Rwandan Hutus and Zairians has spread to Rutshuru, in the east. In August, an FAO Mission visited Kivu region to assess the impact of refugees on agriculture and the environment and propose emergency or rehabilitation interventions.