FAO warns: Countries that usually export grains such as South Africa or Zambia will not be able to meet demand, and grain shortages could also affect Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa.
South Africa is at risk of grain shortages due to severe drought caused mainly by the El Niño climate phenomenon, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Wednesday.
The expected production deficit, especially of maize, is expected to intensify food insecurity, raise prices and increase import needs in the region, FAO warned in a press release.
Maize represents almost 20% of calories consumed in southern African countries. And acute food insecurity, which affected 16 million people in the region during the first three months of this year, could worsen further, FAO continues. According to her, countries that usually export cereals such as South Africa or Zambia will not be able to meet the demand, and the shortage of cereals could also affect Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and South Africa.
In recent months, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe have successively declared a state of national disaster. The poor harvest forecast is linked to “widespread and significant precipitation deficits in February, exacerbated by record temperatures,” FAO noted.
The recurring El Niño weather phenomenon returned in mid-2023, causing global temperatures to rise, and could last until May. According to a recent study by the international network of scientists World Weather Attribution, which assesses the link between extreme weather events and climate change, the drought in southern Africa is mainly due to El Niño rather than climate change.
Sami Nemli with agency / ÉCOx inspirations
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