§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that food aid in Ethiopia is purchased from local farmers. [150104]
§ Hilary BennDuring the crisis of 2002–03, DFID was largely unable to provide food aid from local purchase. This was because of the severity of the overall national food shortage. Ethiopia required 1.8 million metric tonnes of food assistance, and at the request of the Ethiopian Government, this was mostly imported.
This year will provide better opportunities for local purchase of grains as production is up by 46 per cent. DFID is also considering providing cash instead of food to people in need. This will reduce the negative impact of imported food aid on local markets and farmers and will increase the purchasing power of those affected by food shortage.
§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the predicted harvest in Ethiopia and its impact on the numbers requiring food aid in that country. [150105]
§ Hilary BennThe Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) estimate national cereal and pulse production for the main harvest of 2003–04 in Ethiopia to be just over 13 million metric tonnes. This is a 46 per cent. increase on the 2002–03 harvest and an 11 per cent. increase on the last five year average.
Despite the good crop, about 7.2 million people will need food aid —almost half that of last year. This equals an overall food requirement of 980,000 metric tonnes compared with 1.8 million metric tonnes in 2002–03.