Floods, drought threaten food shortages in southern Africa: WFP

Mar 8, 2007, 17:14 GMT

Johannesburg - The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned Thursday recent erratic weather in southern Africa, which has seen heavy rains and flooding in some areas and drought in others, could spark widespread food shortages.

Flooding in parts of Angola, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia has washed away tens of thousands of hectares of crop, while a prolonged dry spell in parts of Lesotho, Namibia, southern Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and South Africa has damaged or destroyed harvests of the staple maize crop.

One of the countries worst affected was Swaziland, where 1.1 million people are already receiving food aid from the WFP and which is facing a sixth consecutive year of poor harvests, Amir Abdulla, WFP Regional Director for Southern Africa, said.

'Early indications are that this could be the worst agricultural year in Swaziland due to drought since 1992,' Abdulla said.

Lesotho was expecting a 60-per-cent decline in agricultural yields over last year and crops in southern Zimbabwe had been decimated by weeks without rain.

Drought in parts of South Africa, usually the largest producer of maize in the region, was also cause for concern as the WFP sources supplies in the country and shortages are starting to drive up prices.

On the other hand, Malawi and parts of Zambia and Mozambique not affected by devastating recent floods were expected to produce good harvests.

The WFP currently assist 4.3 million people in southern Africa and is appealing for donations to make up a funding shortfall of about 97 million dollars through the end of 2007.