Tsunami devastates Asian food production
as the impact of the tsunami on Asian food production becomes
apparent, says the UN.
Countries hit by the tsunami disaster must now face up to severe food security problems in the short and long-term. The huge death toll together with the destruction of farmland and food production facilities has pushed concerns over food production to the fore.
FAO Director-General Dr Jacques Diouf met last Friday with ambassadors from affected countries and donors to evaluate the response to the emergency rehabilitation of fisheries and agriculture in affected countries. The damage to infrastructure, in particular roads, and the lack of suitable transportation means, logistical difficulties is likely to hamper the distribution of food to the affected population.
Fisheries and agriculture in coastal areas have been severely hit by the tsunami waves. "Relief efforts must ensure that local farmers and fisher folk hit by the tsunamis receive all the assistance needed to cover their food needs and to restart farming and fishing as soon as possible. With international assistance, agriculture and fisheries should have the potential to recover from this catastrophe," said FAO.
In Indonesia all infrastructure has been destroyed in the worst-affected areas, leaving people without water, food or shelter. The provinces most affected by the tsunami, Aceh and Northern Sumatra on Sumatra Island, are among the most vulnerable areas in the country, with one-third of the population living below the poverty line.
The 2005 main season paddy and maize crops, to be harvested from March on, were already on the ground when the tsunami struck Sumatra. The island is the second in Indonesia in terms of rice production. Together, the two worst affected provinces account for about 10 per cent of the aggregate national rice output in a normal year.
There is currently no assessment of the impact of the tsunami on cereal production at local and national levels. Following last year's bumper crop there are adequate stocks to cover the food needs of the affected population.
In Sri Lanka, the hardest-hit eastern and southern coastal districts are among the largest paddy growing areas. Planting of the 2005 main paddy season, accounting for some 60 per cent of the total rice production, had just been completed when the tsunami arrived. In eastern parts, persistent heavy rains from mid-December and floods have also adversely affected the emerging paddy crop.
Prospects for the harvest, scheduled to start in March, have deteriorated. The country's already tight food supply situation could worsen further in 2005/06.
The UK's Disaster Emergency Committee's website can be found here.
