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Winter drought affects food production

A joint assessment by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC), the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has revealed that winter drought has led to a severe drop in crop production in Nepal, placing more than two million people at high risk of food insecurity.

The 2008/2009 winter drought - one of the worst in the country’s history - has destroyed crops across Nepal, with wheat and barley production reduced by 14 and 17 percent respectively, the assessment report says.

Crop yields in some districts in mid and far western regions – which received less than 50 percent of average rainfall between November 2008 and February 2009 - have dropped by more than half.

The report estimates that 40 of the 75 districts are affected due to food deficit caused by the drought and also expresses serious concerns about the nutrition situation across the country. “Half of children under the age of five in these districts are stunted, while 39 percent of children are underweight and 13 percent are severely malnourished,” the report further said.

To address the woes, WFP announced its plans to increase the number of people it is assisting in the most food insecure areas from 1.5 million to 2.2 million in the coming weeks. The UN agency said it plans to work with local communities to expand irrigation networks while distributing seeds for the next harvest.

“We are extremely concerned with the present food supply situation,” said Bui Thi Lan, FAO Country Representative in Kathmandu. “We urge more efforts from the Government of Nepal and the international community to provide immediate support for the next season crop to farmers in Far and Mid –Western regions where 75 percent of the cultivated land is un-irrigated,” Lan said, adding that timely support in terms of agricultural inputs, especially seeds, fertilisers and repair of small irrigation schemes will help in need farmers in these areas get a better harvest for their own food security.

“We are already noticing that people have started to sell their assets, migrate for work and in some cases skip meals,” said Richard Ragan, WFP Representative in Nepal. “This is very worrying. We are also concerned about the impact that road blockades and increased food and fuel prices are having on mountain and hill markets. The supply of food stocks in local markets is insufficient and in some cases depleted,” he added. nepalnews.com ia May 27 09