Ethiopia’s Bumper Harvest Removes Almost 3 Million From Food Aid

Source: Bloomberg
The number of Ethiopians requiring emergency food aid has fallen by almost 3 million to 2.3 million following a bumper harvest, a United Nations official said.

The food security situation has improved “in general in 2010” due to good rains between February and May and between June and September, UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokeswoman Kristen Knutson said by phone from the capital, Addis Ababa, today.

There were “major concerns” in 2008 and 2009 “but now with better weather conditions the numbers have dropped,” Judith Schuler, spokeswoman for the UN World Food Program in Ethiopia said by phone.

Schuler said 7.4 million Ethiopians are still supported by the Productive Safety Net Program, which provides either food or money to households suffering from shortages. The Agriculture Ministry was not immediately available for comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: William Davison in Addis Ababa via Johannesburg at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net.