United Nations
Information Centre | Nepal
Nepal Food Security Bulletin - Issue 26 (October - December 2009)
Abstract:
The recent completion of the major harvest period of the year has improved the overall short-term food security situation across the country. At a national level WFP household surveys revealed that food stocks and consumption levels have seen an improvement since late last year when the harvest begun. However, a number of districts in the Karnali and Far Western Hills are suffering high or severe levels of food insecurity due to successive periods of drought, poor recent harvest, insufficient supply of food in local markets and overall lack of economic opportunity. Over 50 percent of households surveyed reported crop losses at 30-70 percent. WFP Food for Work programming, which targeted 1.6 million people in 2008/09, has significantly reduced the portion of the total population which are highly and severely food insecure. However, 145 VDCs across 12 districts of Nepal (mostly in the Mid– and Far-Western Regions but including 2 in the East in Sankhuwasabha) have been identified by the NeKSAP District Food Security Networks as being highly or severely food insecure. In these areas the estimated population which are unable to sustain their basic food consumption needs is 395,500. The major district of concern is Bajura where all three summer crops: paddy, maize, and millet almost completely failed across most of the district. Household food stocks were largely depleted prior to the harvest period and have not been replenished. Due to the severity of food insecurity, households in the worst affected areas have reported consuming their seed stocks, so there is additional concern regarding the prospects of the next crop. Market supply is also a key problem with some local markets having very limited or no food stocks. Other districts with multiple VDCs experiencing high food insecurity include: Humla, Mugu, Jumla, Kalikot, Dailekh, Achham, Doti, Baitadi, and Darchula. National food price inflation remains of significant concern to food security in Nepal and needs to be closely monitored by both the government and the international community. While international food prices have reduced significantly over the past year (since the peak of the food crisis in 2008), prices in Nepal have continued to increase. Compared to 12 months ago the price of black-gram is up by 44 percent, wheat flour by 25 percent, musuro (broken lentil) by 25 percent and coarse rice by 14 percent. Furthermore, there is a strong likelihood that food prices will continue to increase in the first half of 2010. This will be the likely result of: poor national production in 2009, expected further increases in international prices due to a poor global harvest in 2009 (including a generally weak harvest across Asia); and the potential of fuel and transportation prices increasing (the major driver of food costs in remote areas of Nepal).
Publisher: WFP Type / Script:
Bulletin or Poster  in  English
Keywords:
 FOOD, FOOD SECURITY, FOOD SUPPLY, FOOD PRICES, FOOD PROBLEMS, CROPS, CROP PRODUCTION, FOOD CROPS, FOOD SHORTAGE, NUTRITION, FOOD STOCKS, FOOD CONSUMPTION, DROUGHT, FOOD STORAGE, FOOD AID, FOOD POLICY, FOOD REQUIREMENTS, FOOD RESERVES, FOOD RESOURCES
Thematic Group:
WFP, (2009)
Thesaurus:
10.01.00 - Food And Nutrition
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Feeder: PRAJU SHRESTHA, Editor: , Auditor:
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