§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the recent flooding in the eastern regions of Guinea Bissau. [136528]
§ Hilary BennI understand that wide-spread flooding caused by very heavy rainfall (the wettest rainy season in the Sahel for 30 years) has destroyed vast areas of cropland in the east of Guinea-Bissau. Up to 80 per cent. of Guinea-Bissau's peasant farmers may have been affected. Large areas of rice planted along the banks of the Geba river have been destroyed. Elsewhere in Bafata and Gabu provinces fields of maize and beans were rotting underwater. The Guinea-Bissau Agricultural Minister is quoted as saying that an extra 60,000 tonnes of rice will need to be imported to make up for the expected shortfall in local food production.
A team from the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is evaluating the situation and preparing a response.