FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT

• Early prospects for the 2012 main season cereal crops are favourable

• Maize and bean prices lower than a year ago

Early prospects for the 2012 main season cereal crops are favourable

Sowing of the main 2012 cereal crop, particularly maize, is currently under way. Following a weakening of the la Niña phenomenon in April, generally normal weather conditions are expected during the cropping season. Although rainfall in the first decade of May was below average, weather forecasts suggest that precipitation will be favourable and very close to the average during the growing period. In an effort to promote production in this agricultural season, in April the Government started to distribute 315 000 agricultural input packages, which include white maize seed and fertilizers, as part of the subsidy paid each year to farmers. With this assistance, and favourable rainfall prospects for the next few months, a record output of 1 million tonnes is expected, similar to the projection for the 2011 harvest which was not gathered because of unfavourable weather conditions.