WFP'S ASMARA OFFICE DOWNSIZES TO PRESENCE POST

UNCLAS ASMARA 000221 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE AIDAC LONDON AND PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHERS DEPT FOR AF/E - PLEASE PASS USAID NAIROBI FOR USAID - GPLATT KAMPALA FOR USAID - DSUTHER PRETORIA FOR USAID - PDISKIN ROME FOR FODAG E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EAID EAGR PGOV ER SUBJECT: WFP'S ASMARA OFFICE DOWNSIZES TO PRESENCE POST REF: 06 Asmara 000458 -------------- FOOD SEIZURE LEADS TO WFP DOWNSIZING -------------- ¶1. (SBU) World Food Program (WFP) Country Director Rahman Chowdhury paid a farewell visit to the ambassador on April 16 to discuss the downsizing of WFP's presence and food security in Eritrea. Chowdhury said the WFP will convert its office from program facilitation to a presence post, given the potential for future food emergencies in the region and the difficulty of reopening an office versus expanding an existing one. The office will be staffed by one local employee and will not have a country representative after Chowdhury leaves Eritrea on April 29. WFP's decision is based on its inability to obtain an accounting from the GSE for its 64,000 MT of food aid seized in spring 2006, or conduct any food aid programs in Eritrea since that time. -------------- PLEASE LEAVE NOW, BUT BE READY TO HELP -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In a meeting earlier that week, a Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) official told Chowdhury that his "lack of flexibility" in supporting the cash for work (CFW) program was responsible for WFP's problems with the government (reftel),but also noted the existence of a "famine-like situation in parts of the country" which may lead to an Eritrean request for future assistance. Chowdhury responded that the confiscated food aid must be addressed before aid could resume, leaving the matter at an impasse. -------------- ERITREA'S PRESENT FOOD SECURITY -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Chowdhury said that 2007 had been a good year agriculturally for Eritrea, with good rains in the Gash Barka breadbasket region, and minimal impact from a desert locust infestation. The Minister of Agriculture reported in spring 2007 that Eritrea's 2006 fall harvest had produced 80% of the country's annual food needs. (Note: Eritrea's total grain consumption is 600,000 metric tons (MT) per year. End Note.) Chowdhury observed that the MoA's claims for 2006 appeared beyond what Eritrean farmland could reasonably produce, and estimated the country's maximum productive capacity of 400,000 MT. He added that the MoA has yet to make a similar pronouncement for the fall 2007 harvest, and that the Minister of Agriculture simply told him the harvest was "good." Chowdhury believes the food security situation could "get worse before it gets better," noting black market imports of teff from Ethiopia and sorghum from Sudan were necessary to close the gap between official supplies and human needs, even during the past three years of good harvests. ¶4. (SBU) Chowdhury stated that this spring's post-harvest food prices were higher than last fall's pre-harvest prices, noting that prices should have greatly decreased after harvest given vastly increased supply. MoA officials informed Chowdhury that they will "do something" to alleviate the suffering, but did not elaborate. Chowdhury also said the GSE recently ordered Eritrean farmers to sell all of their grain stocks to government traders and not retain any harvest for either seed stock or personal use. Farmers responded by hoarding grain, leading to a reduced flow of commodities to private traders in the markets. MCMULLEN