MAPUTO - Rains have raised hopes for bigger harvests in southern Africa this season after scorching drought last year left millions in need of food aid, a top UN official said on Wednesday.
"The good news is that the rains have been better this year. We will not see widespread famine," UN special envoy James Morris told Reuters on the first leg of a five-day visit to Mozambique and Malawi, two of the countries hardest hit.
Analysts have said it is too early to make accurate harvest forecasts but the consensus is that yields should rise this year.
Rains have been drenching parts of Mozambique and other countries in southern Africa in recent weeks.
Morris, who is also executive director of the UN World Food Programme, said international aid was still needed to keep the region fed through to the next harvests in April.
Around 12 million people in southern Africa, including an estimated 4 percent of Mozambique's population, are expected to need assistance in the coming months, according to the WFP.
Malawi is the worst hit, with close to 5 million people, or almost half its population, dependent on food aid.
Prospects for better yields in neighbouring countries have helped knock maize prices in South Africa off 22-month highs in recent weeks. The country is the regional breadbasket from which food aid is often sourced.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
