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News article24 April 2020

COVID-19 expected to aggravate the effects of other food security threats in Africa

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ASAP hotspot assessment of 24/04/2020

The April edition of the JRC's Anomaly Hotspots of Agricultural Production (ASAP) assessment is now available at:

Anomaly Hotspots of Agricultural Production (ASAP) assessment

Main findings of the April global overview:

  • The main season harvest has started in parts of Southern Africa, with a bumper harvest expected in South Africa, and overall good production expectations for Zambia, Malawi and Lesotho. Food security in Zimbabwe remains of major concern due to multiple stressors, including droughts and floods in a tense economic situation. Localised production shortfalls are expected in areas affected by drought and floods in southern Zambia and southern Mozambique.
  • In East Africa, although planting has taken place under generally positive agro-climatic conditions, movements of desert locusts to main seasonal production areas represent a major threat to already fragile food security situations.
  • In North Africa, most parts of the region are affected by significantly below-average cumulative rainfall totals. In south-western Morocco, close to harvest, vegetation conditions are worse than in the drought-affected 2019 season.
  • In Central Asia, biomass conditions for winter cereals are close to average in Uzbekistan, southern Kazakhstan and northern Afghanistan. Positive prospects for main season rice production in Sri Lanka.
  • In South-East Asia, production prospects for dry season rice are close to average in most parts, except for Thailand due to reduced rice area caused by lack of irrigation water. Increased area planted with rice, and improved biomass conditions, in Indonesia and Timor Leste thanks to the arrival of rains.
  • Positive production prospects for winter cereals across the Middle East, despite flooding affecting parts of the region in March and April. The increased rainfall favoured the development of desert locusts in Yemen, where planting of sorghum will start soon.

The next assessment is scheduled for the end of May 2020.

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Anomaly Hotspots of Agricultural Production (ASAP) assessment

Details

Publication date
24 April 2020