Roma, May 16, 2025 (Lusa) - Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and Timor-Leste, the three Portuguese-speaking countries studied in this year's annual report by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC), faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2024.
In Mozambique, in southern Africa, 4.9 million people, or 24% of the population analysed, faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 105 of the country's 156 districts during the lean season, according to the study published on Friday.
According to the analysis, these figures are a "combination of the violence ravaging the country", mainly in the northern region of Cabo Delgado, "extreme weather events" and "economic crises".
The drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon, combined with high temperatures, has compromised the 2023-2024 agricultural season, while floods and tropical storms — such as Cyclone Chido and Storm Filipo — have damaged tens of thousands of hectares of crops and infrastructure, according to the study.
Vulnerable families exhausted their food stocks early and became dependent on the market at the beginning of the lean season.
The protracted conflict in Cabo Delgado stabilised in the second half of 2024. However, intermittent attacks continued to occur, hampering access to agricultural land, disrupting markets and trade, and reducing food availability, it lamented.
In Guinea-Bissau, the main factor behind the crisis was economic.
It specified that around 100,000 people, equivalent to 7% of the population, faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2024 due to persistent inflation and, for example, the fall in the price of cashew nuts—the main export product—which was 24% below the average for the last five years, affecting family incomes.
The document explained that although rainfall was sufficient for cereal crops, the Gabú region (east) recorded losses due to periods of drought.
In the north of the Oio region (north-central), the rainfall deficit in August damaged rice crops.
Therefore, "total cereal production in 2024 was still estimated at 13% above the five-year average," it said.
In Timor-Leste, a Portuguese-speaking nation in Asia, the situation also worsened.
"About 400,000 people, or 27% of the population, faced acute food insecurity in the post-harvest period, up from 260,000 the previous year," it warned.
Of these, 20,000 were in an emergency (Phase 4 IPC), it said.
The investigation also pointed out that the combined impact of the drought induced by El Niño and the heavy rains caused by La Niña drastically reduced rice and maize production, 23% and 14% below the average for the last five years, respectively.
Overall, the document indicated that food prices rose due to domestic production shortfalls and India's restrictions on rice exports. As about 60% of cereal needs are met by imports, external dependence exposed the country to price shocks, with rice rising 11% in December compared to the previous year.
It explained that in 2024, more than 295 million people, or 22.6% of the population analysed, faced high levels of acute food insecurity in 53 of the 65 countries/territories selected for the report, the sixth consecutive annual increase.
NYC/ADB // ADB.
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