Systematic and reliable information on agricultural production is difficult to obtain in this strife-torn country and official reports of the 1996 harvest are conflicting. The area sown to cereals has increased very sharply to about 400 000 hectares, of which 150 000 hectares were irrigated. A certain amount flood damage occurred in May and shortages of all kinds have again affected average crop yields but nevertheless there is general agreement that the cereal harvest this year is of the order of 400 000 tons, significantly higher than last year’s ( 260 000 tons) and higher than the official estimate of 280 000 tons. The higher estimate is corroborated by an FAO Mission which visited the country in June/July 1996 and found that cereal yields were being underestimated, particularly for wheat. From a variety of sources, the Mission received similar information: on reasonable areas of irrigated land , wheat yields averaged between 1.5-2.5 tons per hectare, while on rainfed land yields were rarely over 1 ton per hectare. Growing conditions this year have been better than last year and some areas were expecting very good yields of up to 4 tons per hectare. Assuming an average yield of 1.75 tons per hectare in irrigated areas and 0.6 tons per hectare in rainfed areas, output is reasonably projected at around 400 000 tons. Output of most other foodcrops and fodder are forecast to decline as land has been diverted to wheat. Output of cotton, the main cash crop, has fallen by almost 25 percent to 320 000 tons. A nutrition survey by German Agro-Action has documented a sharp deterioration in the nutritional situation since 1993 throughout the country, as a result of widespread poverty. Even with higher cereal production in 1996, the country faces a substantial foodgrain deficit which it is unable to cover in view of severe foreign exchange constraints and the poor cotton harvest this year. Cereal requirement in 1996/97 is estimated at 760 000 tons including 660 000 tons for human consumption (or about 360 grams per person per day for a population of 5.5 million), and 100 000 tons for feed and other uses, mainly seed. Domestic supplies amount to 390 000 tons (excluding pulses with rice in milled equivalent), leaving an import requirement of 370 000 tons. The commercial import capacity is very limited. The government has requested 180 000 tons of food aid in wheat to cover foodgrain needs between January and June 1997 as well as assistance in the form of machinery, agro-chemicals and seed to increase domestic food production. In 1996/97 the country will receive direct budget support from the EC instead of food aid for monetization. Disbursement is conditional to the implementation of reforms in the agricultural sector, particularly land reform and privatization of cereal/bread processing and distribution and liberalization of cereal prices. Such reforms are likely to increase the need of targeted assistance for the most vulnerable. Vulnerable people continue to need targeted humanitarian assistance. These include populations displaced as a result of civil strife, elderly pensioners, war-widows with children, large single-parent families, orphans and the disabled/invalids. The population targeted for food assistance is around 600 000. WFP, NGOs, IFRC and ICRC are distributing relief food. The response to the recent UN Donor Alert has been encouraging and pledges cover WFP needs to August.