Corn production for the 2020/21 season may be at or above average in most of Mozambique and the price of the grain started to fall in April, according to an analysis consulted this Monday by Lusa on one of the country’s food bases.
“In April, with the beginning of the harvest, the price of corn grain decreased between 6% and 45% compared to March,” reads the document from the Famine Early Warning Network (Fews network), which supports the actions of government and humanitarian agencies.
The price of corn grain is estimated to “continue to decline” until July, as it does seasonally, driven by “increased availability in local markets.”
On the other hand, “the price of maize flour and rice remained stable between March and April.”
“The appreciation of the metical against the dollar should lead to a stabilization of the prices of maize flour and rice and it is unlikely that prices will go down in the short term,” the network perspectives.
The majority of the Mozambican population practices subsistence agriculture, and corn is one of the most widespread crops with several food uses.
According to the Fews network, the agricultural harvest of various products, currently underway, is gradually improving food security, with much of the country facing minimal risks (between levels 1 and 2 on a scale going up to 5, severe hunger)
“However, the armed conflict in Cabo Delgado continues to disrupt household livelihoods,” causing the region to face Level 3 and even Level 4 food insecurity, in the case of households who are “in inaccessible areas and hiding in the bush.”
On the other hand, as noted in previous reports, the paper stresses that many covid-19 prevention measures continue to make pockets of hunger in urban centers worse.
The restrictions “continue to limit income opportunities for most poor urban households, worsening signs of Level 2 insecurity and causing the most affected households to face Level 3 insecurity, i.e. food crisis,” forcing them to cut meals.
“Border control measures to control the spread of covid-19, as evidenced by a recent covid-19 test, continue to restrict informal cross-border trade and limit the entry of migrants working in South Africa,” it adds.
