More than 950,000 will be food insecure in Mali during lean season
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - A total of 957,751 people will be food insecure in Mali during the lean season (August-September) this year, including 33,848 in the emergency phase and 923,903 people in crisis, Minister-Commissioner for Food Security, Redouwane Ag Mohamed Ali, announced on Tuesday.
Speaking at the 16th ordinary session of the Coordination and Monitoring Committee for Food Security Policies and Programmes (CCSPSA), the minister said that the nutritional situation remains worrying in some parts of Mali "because of poor feeding practices, food deficit, civil insecurity limiting access to basic social services and the high prevalence of diseases related to poor hygiene".
Mohamed Ali explained that the 2020-2021 agricultural campaign was considered good overall.
However, he said, "there have been significant drops in production due to floods, inter-community conflicts and other forms of insecurity that have limited access to the fields. There has also been a significant drop in cotton cultivation and related income".
The minister-commissioner pointed out that pasture and watering conditions for livestock are generally good, although access to some pastures remains limited in conflict zones in the centre and north of the country.
He noted that the production of milk and dairy products is generally between average to good level in the country.
However, difficulties in livestock vaccination were reported in insecure areas.
The 16th ordinary session of the CCSPSA, which brought together several representatives of various ministerial departments, enabled participants to examine, analyse and approve food security activities, including the status of implementation of the recommendations of the 15th session of the Committee, the results of the provisional assessment of the food situation made by the Early Warning System through the Harmonised Framework and the assessment of the 2020 Operating Plan of the National Food Security System (DNSA), the 2021 programming and results-based implementation budget of the DNSA.
Despite the crisis situation, Mohamed Ali argued, implementation of the Operation Plan and the National Response Plan 2020 has led to convincing results, including the completion of a food vulnerability system analysis, which identified 1,340,741 food and nutritionally insecure people in phase 3 and 4.
-0- PANA GT/JSG/BBA/AR 10Feb2021
