P 191057Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY MAPUTO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0053
INFO SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000276 
 
 
STATE FOR AF AND AF/S, STATE PASS TO USAID, USAID FOR 
DCHA/OFDA FOR PMORRIS, LPOWERS, TDENYSENKO, USAID FOR 
DCHA/FFP FOR JBORNS, SANTHONY, RGRANT, USAID FOR AFR/SA FOR 
ELOKEN AND DMENDELSON, HARARAE FOR JWESSEL, PRETORIA FOR 
USAID HHALE, SMCNIVEN, PDISKIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AFIN AMGT MZ
SUBJECT: FOOD INSECURITY ALERT FOR CENTRAL MOZAMBIQUE 
 
REF: MAPUTO 0007 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY: The LATE ARRIVAL OF RAIN THIS YEAR IN CENTRAL 
MOZAMBIQUE, FOLLOWING TWO POOR SEASONS OF RAINFALL, HAS LED 
TO POOR HARVEST YIELDS THAT ARE AFFECTING THE FOOD SECURITY 
OF 97,000 IN TETE PROVINCE, 14,500 IN NORTHERN MANICA, AND 
58,000 IN SOFALA.  A USAID ASSESSMENT TRIP IN DECEMBER 2008 
WITH WORLD FOOD PROGRAM (WFP) CONFIRMED THAT RESIDENTS IN 
THESE RURAL AREAS ARE NOW FACING SOARING FOOD PRICES.  THE 
GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOZAMBIQUE (GOM) HAS 
HIGHLIGHTED THIS CRISIS THROUGH REPORTS FROM ITS TECHNICAL 
SECRETARIAT FOR FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION (SETSAN) AND HAS 
SUPPORTED THE WFP APPEAL FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO THE 
PROTRACTED RELIEF AND RECOVERY OPERATION (PRRO) FOR 
MOZAMBIQUE, BY RAISING ITS EMERGENCY ALERT LEVEL TO CODE 
ORANGE.  MOZAMBIQUE IS ALSO ENTERING THE SEASON WHEN THE 
ZAMBEZI RIVER FLOODS, WHICH EXPERTS ARE PREDICTING COULD 
HAPPEN AGAIN THIS YEAR, BUT RESOURCES DO NOT EXIST IN COUNTRY 
TO RESPOND. MISSION WILL CONTINUE TO CONSULT WITH REGIONAL 
USAID/FFP AND USAID/OFDA ADVISORS TO DETERMINE NEEDS AND PLAN 
FOR APPROPRIATE ASSISTANCE.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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ORANGE ALERT FOR CENTRAL MOZAMBIQUE 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  THE LATE RAINS IN CENTRAL MOZAMBIQUE THIS YEAR, IN 
ADDITION TO THE TWO PREVIOUS SEASONS WITH POOR RAINFALL AND 
POOR HARVEST YIELDS, DO NOT BODE WELL FOR MANY MOZAMBICAN 
FAMILIES.  WFP AND SETSAN ISSUED AN URGENT APPEAL FOR 
INCREASED FOOD CONTRIBUTIONS IN NOVEMBER 2008.  THE FOLLOWING 
MONTH (DECEMBER 2008), THE GOM RAISED THE EMERGENCY ALERT 
LEVEL FOR CENTRAL MOZAMBIQUE TO CODE ORANGE, ITS NEXT TO 
HIGHEST LEVEL.  AS THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM HAS ALMOST 
EXHAUSTED ITS RESOURCES, WFP HAS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED THE 
USG TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FOOD ASSISTANCE.  THE REQUEST IS 
URGENT, GIVEN THAT MOZAMBIQUE IS NOW APPROACHING THE SEASON 
WHEN THE ZAMBEZI RIVER FLOODS, WHICH EXPERTS ARE PREDICTING 
COULD HAPPEN AGAIN THIS YEAR. 
 
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SOARING FOOD PRICES; INCREASED VULNERABLE POPULATION 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶3.  IN RESPONSE TO THE WFP APPEAL AND FEWSNET REPORTING, A 
USAID TEAM (COMPOSED OF THE MISSION DISASTER RELIEF OFFICER 
AND THE ASSISTANT MISSION DISASTER RELIEF OFFICER) TRAVELED 
TO THE AREA IN DECEMBER 2008.  THEIR FINDINGS WERE REPORTED 
IN REFTEL, CITING THE USE OF COPING MECHANISMS ALREADY IN 
PLACE, SUCH AS EATING WILD FOODS, EATING FEWER MEALS AND THE 
SALE OF ASSETS.  THEY MET WITH DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS, 
TOURED COMMUNITIES WITH DISTRICT AGRICULTURAL ADMINISTRATORS 
AND VISITED WITH THE DISTRICT HEALTH STAFF. 
 
¶4.  IN ADDITION, STEEP INCREASES IN FOOD PRICE HAVE FURTHER 
EXACERBATED THIS DIRE FOOD SECURITY SITUATION.  IN ONE 
DISTRICT WHERE THE ASSESSMENT TEAM VISITED, IT WAS REPORTED 
THAT THE PRICE OF CORN FOR 20 KILOS WAS NOW 260 METICAIS (USD 
10.40) WHEN LAST YEAR AT THE SAME TIME IT WAS 150 METICAIS 
(6.00)  ALL DISTRICTS VISITED REPORTED SIGNIFICANT PRICE 
INCREASES FROM LAST YEAR. 
 
¶5.  SETSAN,S NATIONAL VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS FOR THE FIRST 
QUARTER OF 2009 HAS IDENTIFIED 14,500 FOOD INSECURE IN 
MANICA, 58,000 IN SOFALA AND 97,000 IN TETE.  WHILE THE 
PRESENT NUMBERS HAVE DECREASED SLIGHTLY FOR BOTH SOFALA AND 
MANICA (FROM THE PREVIOUS QUARTER), THEY HAVE ALMOST DOUBLED 
FOR TETE. 
 
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PREPARING FOR ALL EVENTUALITIES 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  THE LATE START OF THE RAINS IS MORE WORRISOME BECAUSE THE 
RAINFALL HAS BEEN ERRATIC FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS IN CENTRAL 
MOZAMBIQUE.  LAST YEAR (AS WELL AS IN THE 2006/2007 SEASON), 
THE RAINS BEGAN WELL IN OCTOBER/NOVEMBER AND THEN ALL BUT 
CEASED IN FEBRUARY/MARCH, JUST AS THE CORN WAS NEARING ITS 
MATURING STAGE.  AS A RESULT, CROP RESULTS WERE POOR OR 
NON-EXISTENT, ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHERN DISTRICTS OF TETE 
PROVINCE AND THE NORTHERN DISTRICTS OF SOFALA AND MANICA. 
 
¶7.  IF THE RAINS DO CONTINUE TO ENSURE A GOOD HARVEST (WITH 
THE LATE PLANTING, THE CROPS WOULD NOT BE HARVESTED ) 
PROVIDED THE RAINS CONTINUE - UNTIL MAY/JUNE), FOOD RATIONS 
ARE CRITICALLY NEEDED FOR RESIDENTS IN THIS AREA FOR THE 
FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 2009.  AS WFP/MOZAMBIQUE IS REACHING THE 
END OF CURRENTLY AVAILABLE RESOURCES, IT IS URGENTLY 
APPEALING FOR COMMODITIES TO MEET THIS NEED. 
 
¶8.  HOWEVER, ALSO OF CONCERN IS THE FORECAST FOR A GOOD RAINY 
SEASON FOR THE ZAMBEZI RIVER VALLEY.  SHOULD SEVERE FLOODING 
OCCUR AGAIN IN MOZAMBIQUE THIS YEAR (PRIMARILY AS A RESULT OF 
WATER RELEASES FROM KARIBA DAM IN ZAMBIA AS OPPOSED TO 
RAINFALL IN MOZAMBIQUE), ADDITIONAL FOOD RATIONS WILL BE 
NEEDED.  UNFORTUNATELY, WFP/MOZAMBIQUE IS FACING A PIPELINE 
RUPTURE AND WOULD BE UNABLE TO RESPOND. 
 
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COMMENT 
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¶9.  COMMENT:  TO RESPOND TO THE PRESENT CONDITIONS IN CENTRAL 
MOZAMBIQUE, ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ARE URGENTLY NEEDED. 
HOWEVER, IN ADDITION TO THE PRESENT URGENT REQUIREMENT FOR 
FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS IN CENTRAL MOZAMBIQUE, THERE IS ALSO A 
NEED FOR TIMELY FOOD ASSISTANCE GIVEN THE POSSIBILITY OF 
FLOODING AGAIN IN THE ZAMBEZI RIVER VALLEY THIS YEAR WHEN 
WFP/MOZAMBIQUE IS ALREADY RUNNING SHORT ON NEEDED 
COMMODITIES.  USAID/MOZAMBIQUE WILL CONTINUE TO CONSULT WITH 
REGIONAL USAID/FFP AND USAID/OFDA ADVISORS TO DETERMINE AND 
PLAN FOR ASSISTANCE AS IDENTIFIED THROUGH ON-GOING 
ASSESSMENTS OF HUMANITARIAN NEEDS. END COMMENT. 
 
 
Chapman