At least 800,000 people are in need of food aid in Mozambique between December 2018 and March 2019 as the effects of a poor harvest during the 2017/18 farming season and rising food prices take a toll on the southern African country.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister, Higino Marrule, said the government is putting in place measures to ensure the affected people have adequate to see them through to the next harvest which is due around March or April 2019.
“Measures are already being taken to ensure that populations that may be in this situation are protected,” Marrule told APA on Friday on the sidelines of a meeting of the National Council on Food and Nutrition Security chaired by Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosário
Much of central and southern Mozambique saw extremely poor rainfall during the 2017/2018 agricultural season, leading to crop failure for many farmers, according to the Southern Africa Development Community.
Due to the below-normal 2018 harvest in affected areas, food prices have increased, severely diminishing the purchasing power and food access of households dependent on the market for food.
Marrule warned that the late start of the 2018/19 rainy season, which normally begins in October, could worsen the plight of affected families.
– APA