Niger - Emergency Food Assistance for Drought and Locust Invasion

The present humanitarian intervention relates to emergency food assistance for drought and locust invasion. It's part of humanitarian relief resulting from natural disasters. In fact, in 2004, Niger experienced a drop and a considerable irregularity of rainfall that affected crops in the agro-pastoral belt. This was coupled with a severe locust infestation and the country thus recorded a forage deficit of 4.6 million tonnes, or 37% of requirements, and an estimated cereal deficit of 223,350 tonnes, or about 7.5 % of needs estimated at 2,992,600 tons inducing a severe food crisis. As part of this operation, the Government plans :(i) the establishment of approximately 67 000 tonnes of basic cereals until August 2005; (ii) the development of crisis mitigation micro-projects for the establishment of: (1) 1000 grain banks totaling 10,000 tons of food; (2) 8,100 tonnes of food for work and 540 million FCFA for cash for work; (iii) the distribution of 15,000 tons of zootechnical inputs (cottonseed, wheat bran) in order to support the farmers in the maintenance of their animals; (iv) the distribution of emergency cereal seeds in order to help farmers better prepare the 2005 crop year. The intervention of the African Development Bank should be used for the purchase of basic necessities.