Roundup: Some countries face drop in food access despite global strong harvests: UN report

The UN food agency on Thursday reported strong harvests across the globe, but it also warned of drop in food access due to conflicts and droughts in some parts of the world, including Afghanistan, Burundi, South Sudan and Yemen.

Despite robust food supply conditions, droughts are worsening food security across swathes of East Africa, and access to food has been dramatically reduced in areas suffering civil conflicts, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said in its new report "Crop Prospects and Food Situation," which was released on Thursday.

"It shows that global harvests are strong, with cereal production making large strong gains in the world overall in 2016, a record recovery in Central America, and larger cereal crops in Asia, Europe and North America," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"However, access to food has been dramatically reduced in areas suffering civil conflicts, and drought conditions are worsening across parts of East Africa," he said.

Thirty-seven countries require external assistance for food, with 28 of them in Africa, he added.

In South Sudan, 100,000 people were facing famine in Leer and Mayendit Counties, part of former Unity state. Overall, about 4.9 million people across the country were classified as facing crisis, emergency or famine.

In Yemen, 17 million people, or two-thirds of the population, are estimated to be food insecure. The report noted that "the risk of famine declaration in the country is very high."

In northern Nigeria, 8.1 million people are facing acute food insecurity conditions, and in Somalia, an estimated 2.9 million people have been severely food insecure from six months ago.

Conflicts and civil unrest in Afghanistan, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Myanmar and Syria are also exacerbating food insecurity conditions for millions of people as well as affecting nearby countries hosting refugees, said the report.

Cereal production made quite strong gains in the world overall in 2016, with a record recovery in Central America, and larger cereal crops in Asia, Europe and North America.

Prospects are favourable for the 2017 maize crop in Brazil and Argentina and the outlook is generally positive for coarse grains throughout the Southern Hemisphere. Prospects for rice are mixed, but it is still too early to make firm predictions for many of the world's major crops.

Maize harvests in Southern Africa, slashed by El Nino, are forecast to recover this year, with South Africa's output expected to increase by more than 50 per cent from 2016.

Although FAO's first global wheat production forecast for 2017 points to a 1.8 percent decline from last year's record level, that is due mostly to a projected 20 percent output drop in the United States. Enditem