Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warns of maize shortfall across Southern Africa

Cereal production prospects in Southern Africa have taken a sharp turn for the worse since last February, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned today (Monday/Tuesday). The foreseen shortfall in production, especially for maize, is expected to intensify households’ food insecurity, push up domestic prices and spur a surge in import needs across the subregion, according to a new assessment from FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System. White maize accounts for almost 20 percent of calories consumed in the subregion. The disappointing forecast comes after “widespread and substantial rainfall deficits in February, exacerbated by record high temperatures, a particularly damaging combination for crops,” the report said, noting that there are scant hopes of a recovery before the harvest period commences in May. Acute food insecurity in southern Africa, estimated at 16 million people in the first three months of 2024, could deteriorate in late ...