Attachments
FOOD SECURITY SNAPSHOT
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Despite dry spell in March, 2015B season early planted crops generally in good vegetative conditions
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Food security conditions have seasonally improved since start of 2015A season harvest in January
Good conditions for early planted 2015
B season crops Planting of 2015B main season crops, to be harvested by early June, has just been completed and early planted crops are at vegetative stage. The long rainy season (February to June) started on time, but rainfall amounts have been below average during the first and second dekads of March, requiring some replanting of cereal and bean crops. Abundant rains during the first two weeks of April restored soil moisture conditions across the country and crops are generally in good conditions.
The production of the 2015A secondary season crops, which represents about 35 percent of the total annual crop production and was completely harvested by end-February, is estimated at near-average levels and about 15-20 percent above last year’s A season output when crops in some areas have been affected by plant diseases and water excess.
Better food security conditions following average 2015A season harvest
The food security conditions of poorer households improved substantially since the beginning of the year when the bulk of the 2015A season crops has been commercialized. Better labour opportunities and income linked to harvesting operations also improved household access to food in most areas.
Prices of main staple food crops have declined slightly, although still at above-average levels as newly harvested crops have supplied local markets together with abundant imports from Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.
As of July 2014, Burundi was hosting 47 800 refugees, mostly from the Democratic Republic of Congo, 9 000 asylum seekers and 79 000 IDPs, most of them relying on humanitarian assistance to cover their food needs.