Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS AND SITUATION SUMMARY
This issue covers the period of mid-July to mid-November 2015, the first trimester of Nepalese Fiscal Year 2072/73. This bulletin is based on the outcomes of NeKSAP district food security network (DFSN) meetings held in 70 of 75 districts during November 2015. During this period the country experienced significant disruptions to cross-border trade with India, political unrest in the eastern Terai, a decrease in summer crop production, and continued earthquake impacts on food security and livelihoods. Due to the Terai unrest, DFSN meetings were not held in Dhanusa, Mahottari, Sarlahi and Rautahat.
In this period:
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DFSNs classified 120 Village Development Committees (VDCs) in 9 districts, namely Sindhupalchowk, Dolakha, Gorkha,
Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Ramechhap, Bajura, Mugu and Dolpa, as highly food insecure (Phase 3) with an estimated 240,000 affected people. This situation was attributed to the continued impact of the April-May earthquakes and the significant loss of summer crops. DFSNs also classified 429 VDCs in 19 districts as moderately food insecure (Phase 2). -
The food security situation in the earthquake affected districts has generally improved compared to the situation reported in the DFSNs in May and July. None of VDCs in the current period were classified as severely food insecure (Phase 4) and the number of VDCs classified as highly food insecure (Phase 3) also decreased. Improvements were attributed to remittance inflow, crop harvests, humanitarian assistance, resumption of market function and better road access.
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Two significant events should be noted: first, the poor monsoon contributed to a decrease in summer crop production, and, second, disruptions to cross-border trade with India, mostly at the Birgunj-Raxual border point, led to a fuel crisis, reduced transportation services, a shortage of essential supplies, and an increase in many commodity prices.
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Summer crops (paddy, maize, millet and buckwheat) were harvested. MoAD estimated total summer crop production at 6.8 million mt, 5.6 percent less than in 2014/15. Paddy production decreased by 10.22 percent year-on-year.
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According to Nepal Rastra Bank, the year-on-year Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 10.4 percent in November 2015. The pulse sub-group had the largest year-on-year increase at 44.1 percent in November 2015.