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afrol News, 31 January - Only 20-40 percent of the farming land has been cultivated in central parts of Swaziland this year, according to agencies monitoring the Swazi famine. Also these few cultivated farming lands are expected to produce minimum yields. Dry weather conditions continue in parts of the Swazi Lowveld, and according to observations by field staff of the World Food Programme (WFP) in the area, "only 20-40 percent of the farming land has been cultivated this year." Reports from WFP partners had stated that crops were wilting due to dry weather conditions, with Mubutfu, Nsubane, Mhlabeni and Lavumisa being badly hit areas, according to the UN agency. This year's crops will not be harvested until April at the earliest, assuming rains do not fail like last year. Earlier this month, the Swazi National Disaster Task Relief Force, announced nearly a 10 percent increase in the number of its citizens requiring food assistance. The number is now estimated to be 287,000 persons depending on aid, in a country of one million inhabitants. The number is however expected to rise during this year's harvests. No deaths from starvation have been reported in Swaziland so far. This is due to the relatively well financed work done by international food agencies, distributing food among hungry Swazis. International outrage over government's over-spending on luxury items however threatens to produce an aid shortfall. During the week, WFP had distributed more than 900 tons of food to almost 38,600 beneficiaries and dispatched 150 tons of Corn Soy Blend (CSB) to the UN children agency UNICEF for school feeding and supplementary feeding programmes. The UN food agency further so far had set up 111 Women's Relief Committees which were to distribute WFP food targeted to the most vulnerable at 179 distribution points. The committees were to empower and enhance women in food management, targeting, and education of beneficiaries on nutrition and HIV/AIDS, the agency said today. A major donation by South Africa to fund the WFP's emergency
operations in Southern Africa earlier this week had increased the agency's
possibilities to fulfil its tasks. South Africa gave US$ 20 million to
support its neighbour countries through WFP operations.
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