Key Messages
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With the harvest now taking place countrywide, greater food availability has led to Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes in southern and central areas, which is expected to improve to Minimal (IPC Phase 1) in June. However, it is still likely that localized poor households in areas directly impacted by the armed conflict, flooding/cyclone events or erratic rainfall in parts of the central region’s semiarid zone may face Stressed (IPC Phase 2) or Crisis (IPC Phase 3) through September and require targeted humanitarian assistance.
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The extended end-of-season rains have further contributed to residual moisture for the second season, which is primarily practiced in lowland southern and central areas. Maize, beans, and vegetables are developing reasonably well, and harvesting is expected between July to September. The availability of these crops will particularly improve food access for poor households that lost their main season crops when they were impacted earlier this year by flooding and/or Cyclone Dineo.
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Staple food prices seasonally declined in April 2017, the beginning of the new marketing and consumption year, and are expected to further decline as supplies increase but are likely to remain above the five-year averages, especially in southern and central areas. Maize grain prices fell by 31 percent on average compared to March 2017, except in Chókwe, where prices remained stable after a sharp decline of 63 percent in March. The largest decline was recorded in Gorongosa, of about 54 percent.
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Mozambique’s Vulnerability Assessment Group (GAV) of the Technical Secretariat of Food Security and Nutrition (SETSAN) plans to carry out a countrywide food security assessment in June, with FEWS NET’s participation, to estimate the number of food insecure people for this consumption season, the type and level of humanitarian assistance needed, as well as the exact duration of the interventions. A smaller-scale assessment was carried out in March/April, but these results have not yet been released.