Mozambique: Drought Severely Damages Agriculture

Maputo — Agricultural production has been severely compromised by the drought in southern and central Mozambique, the government spokesperson, Deputy Health Minister Mouzinho Saide, announced on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters, at the end of a meeting of the Council of Ministers (Cabinet), Saide said that so far the drought has cost the lives of 3,500 head of cattle, and 437,000 hectares of crops are considered lost, which is 8.9 per cent of the total cultivated area. In a normal year, the harvest begins in March - but this year atAt least an estimated 375,900 people in drought hit areas will have no harvest at all, and will need assistance.

That figure assumes the situation does not deteriorate any further. But in a worst case scenario of deepening drought, the number in need of aid could rise to 1.7 million. The current number of people in need of food aid is 176,000. This week there has been some rain in southern and central Mozambique, and Saide was optimistic that if these rains continue, the number of people in need of food aid will decline.

Actions to mitigate the impact of the drought, Saide said, include the organization of agricultural fairs, the production of hay to feed cattle, and moving livestock to low lying areas where there is still some moisture. The government is also publicizing measures to save water, by making rational use of what little is available.