The National Coordination of Food Security (CNSA) and the World Food Programme (WFP) indicates in the results of a survey to assess the performance of the spring campaign 2011, of market analysis and food security that "despite a significant delay in the start of the spring campaign 2011, rainfall was generally more abundant than normal and a good food crop is expected. However, in the plain agro-pastoral and irrigated of the Northeast, a prolonged drought raged from November 2010 to August 2011, causing large reductions in crop production and livestock losses. Part of the high central plateau and some northern municipalities (Port Margot, Bas-Limbé), Northwest (St Louis du Nord, Turtle Island) and of the West (Arcahaie, Cabaret and Gressier) were also affected by a rainfall below of the normal."

The report also states that "The predictions of the survey, taking into account the campaigns of spring, summer and autumn/winter establish the total food production in 2011/12 to 607.200 tonnes for cereals, 186.300 tonnes for legumes, 1.465 million tons for tubers and 232.000 tonnes of plantains. This represents a slight decrease of 7% for cereals, 6% for tubers and 9% for legumes, while there is an increase of 6% for plantain. These comparisons are made with the year 2010, the year of highest production in the records of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development (MARNDR)."

Rice production for this period "has severely decreased (-17%), mainly due to a lack of supply of fertilizer as part of a subsidy program of MARNDR" he report notes, stressing that there is a deficit of 170,000 tonnes in cereal equivalent "The import requirement of cereals, legumes and plantains for the market campaign of the year 2011/12 (July/June) are estimated at 910.000 tonnes in cereal equivalent, of which 740.000 tons should be imported commercially. The uncovered deficit is estimated at 170.000 tons."

"Markets are well supplied with food products, but prices remain high and higher than those of 2010. The price index (CPI) indicates that the purchasing power declined by 9.5% in July 2011 compared to the same period in 2010."

Results from the National Survey on Food Security-ENSA show that the prevalence of food insecurity remains high and represents 45% of the Haitian population, about 4.7 million people. In this group, there are approximately 850.000 people, or 8.2% of the population who are in "high food insecurity". In areas where agricultural production is poor this year, the survey estimated that about 230.000 additional people will fall into the high food insecurity and will require additional assistance.

PI/ HaitiLibre