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Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste - Food Security Bulletin Edition no.18 - April to June 2020

Attachments

Highlights

• Food insecurity levels are expected to be high in 2020 due to lower rainfalls, and the disruption in some agriculture activities due to COVID-19.

• The national maize production for the first half of 2020 was 77,606 tonnes, while rice production data is unavailable due to ongoing rice harvesting. Hence, the national rice production data will be released within the July - September 2020 Food Security Bulletin.

• Private sector rice imports for Timor-Leste from April to June 2020 were 44,846 tonnes compared to 25,498 tonnes during the last quarter (January – March 2020).

• The National Logistic Center (NLC) and MSSI has a total food stock of 126 tonnes of rice by the end of June 2020.

• As per the May 2020 survey, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) in collaboration with OXFAM and Mercy Corps, over 40% of households are engaging in coping strategies and experiencing food insecurity during the harvest season.

• The prices of cereal food (Imported rice, maize, wheat flour) increased at an average of 15%. Salt and sugar increased by an average of 34%, whilst Bean, Potatoes, and Chili prices gradually decreased for various reasons for the harvesting season, flood, and the COVID-19 including the State of Emergency measures impacting shipping costs