§ John Barrett:To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the impact which food aid to Swaziland is having on the ability of Swazi maize farmers to sell their produce; and if he will make a statement. [142782]
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§ Hilary Benn:Food aid always has the potential to disrupt incentives to local farmers. That is why DFID looks carefully at the specific food needs in each humanitarian operation and discusses food aid programmes with the major agencies, including the World Food Programme. We encourage WFP to source grains locally whenever this is possible and cost effective.
The National Agricultural Marketing Board of Swaziland suspended import permits for maize at the beginning of November this year. In the view of the Marketing Board, food aid imports are depressing local market prices, and DFID has therefore been discussing the position with the World Food Programme. WFP has informed us that tenders for food aid in Swaziland have been open to Swazi suppliers.
DFID's own support for WFP programmes in Swaziland has prioritised the use of corn soya blend for the most vulnerable of the food insecure, mostly vulnerable children and expectant mothers. Corn soya blend has no locally-produced substitute and will not disrupt incentives for local maize trade or maize planting.