El Nino threatens grain shortages in southern Africa
The Peninsula
Johannesburg: Severe drought caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon is threatening southernAfricawith grain shortages and food insecurity, a UN food...
Johannesburg: Severe drought caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon is threatening southern Africa with grain shortages and food insecurity, a UN food agency said Wednesday.
The recurring El Nino weather pattern, which causes a rise in global temperatures, returned in mid-2023 and is expected to last until May.
Grain shortages are set to worsen food insecurity, which has already affected 16 million people in the region in the first three months of the year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said.
"The foreseen shortfall in production, especially for maize, is expected to intensify households' food insecurity, push up domestic prices and spur a surge in import needs across the subregion," the FAO said.
Maize accounts for almost 20 percent of the calories consumed in southern African countries.
