NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 302
DATE OF PUBLICATION: FRIDAY 12 AUGUST 2011 [IQP No 22 -2011] SECOND
SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT
Question 302 for written reply: National Council of Provinces, Mr K A
Sinclair (COPE) to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
Whether, in light of the Food and Agriculture Organisationâs assessment of
food security being severely threatened by recent floods in the Southern
African region, her department has implemented any measures to minimise the
impact of acute food shortage on the South African consumer and economy; if
not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? CW366E
Reply:
Despite the floods experienced in 2010/11 summer rainfall season in the
Southern African Region, the Southern Africa Food Security Outlook for July
to December 2011 released by Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET)
indicated that current food security conditions remain satisfactory over
most parts of the region following three consecutive years of average to
above-average crop harvests. As a result, staple food prices have
stabilized and are declining particularly in the surplus producing areas
indicating ample staple food supplies. Food security and vulnerability
assessments undertaken recently in the region through the Southern African
Vulnerability Assessment Committee confirmed that the majority of
households have adequate access to food over this consumption season due to
favorable food production season. However, conditions in localized areas
affected by floods and/ or prolonged mid-season dry spells remain a concern
as harvests were reduced.
The resulting food deficits have had adverse impacts in these localized
areas, especially on the very poor and poor households who, even in average
production years face constraints in accessing adequate food. In northern
Namibia and many parts of Lesotho, severe flooding reduced harvests in the
crop growing regions, rendering many households, especially the very poor
and poor, food insecure for most of the 2011/2012 consumption period. The
regional food deficit poses an opportunity for the domestic agricultural
sector for increased exports of grain into the region. The linkages of the
WFP with the Small Holder Farmers and the Subsistence Farmer is what DAFF
is working tirelessly to achieve as it is a market access which will be a
catalyst for the development of this sector. The domestic food security
situation is favorable and the statistics released by the Crop Estimates
Committee on 25 August 2011 indicated that projected production of maize
for 2011 is 10,679 million tons which is 16,7% less than the 12,815 million
tons of the previous year, the country still has the surplus of 990 000
tons which will assist to meet the local consumption.
The country only needs around 9.1-9.5 million tons for local consumption of
which it will be available and some remaining tons will be exported to the
countries in need while some will be used as a buffer crop. Food access
though, to curb acute malnutrition, remains a key challenge, micro-nutrient
deficiencies per province[i] indicates that as much as the countryâs food
security situation looks favorable, food access is still an issue to be
dealt with. The proposed Zero Hunger Programme is designed to sequentially
provide interventions to the hungry members of the society, and these will
vary from socio- to economic development initiatives. It is therefore
perceived that the concept of ending hunger in the country will therefore
deal with both acute and chronic malnutrition.
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[i] From the national perspective, wasting is about 4.5% of children and it
decreased from 5,1% in 1-3 year old children to 3% in children 7 â 9 years.
At the provincial level, the prevalence of wasting was highest in the
Western Cape [11,5%], followed by Mpumalanga [7,5%]. Underweight affects
9,3% of children and it decreased from 11% in children aged 1-3 years to
7,6% in children 7 â 9 years. Overweight affects 4,8% children 1 â 9 years
and is higher [5,5%] in urban formal areas. The highest prevalence was
recorded in Gauteng [6,4%] and Kwa-Zulu Natal [6,3%].