BURUNDI: Nation may face serious food shortage by August

NAIROBI, 18 June 2004 (IRIN) - Burundi may be on the verge of a serious food shortage, according to an early-warning system that focuses on food security issues in the country. The System d'alerte Precoce-Surveillance de la Securite Alimentaire au Burundi (SAP-SSA) says in its bulletin, published in June, the shortages could begin in August and last up to five months. Contributors to the bulletin are a consortium of UN agencies, international and national NGOs, international donors and Burundian government ministries. The bulletin says the shortages are largely unexpected this season and attributes the crises to two factors: the early arrival of the dry season and the subsequent sharp drop in bean production. Beans represent the principal crop of the February to June harvesting season. In addition, the bulletin says the propagation of a "mosaic virus" has devastated cassava plantations in Burundi's northern and eastern provinces. Cassava is the staple food for many families. According to the bulletin, the price of beans and cassava has increased sharply because of the shortages. The UN Children's Fund nutritional surveys conducted in 2004 indicate that in the northeastern provinces of Ngozi, Kayanza and Bubanza, prevalence rates for acute malnutrition in children from six months to five years have reached 10 percent. Chronic malnutrition observed within the same age group has reached 61 percent, according to the bulletin.