MIZORAM CONTINUES TO STRUGGLE WITH SEVERE FOOD CRISIS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KOLKATA 000187 SENSITIVE SIPDIS KATHMANDU FOR OFDA ROME FOR FODAG NEW DELHI FOR USAID E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID EAGR SENV PREL SOCI IN SUBJECT: MIZORAM CONTINUES TO STRUGGLE WITH SEVERE FOOD CRISIS REF: A) NEW DELHI 1326 B) KOLKATA 132 C) DHAKA 469 D) KOLKATA 95 E) DHAKA 110 F) 07 KOLKATA 353 KOLKATA 00000187 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The eastern Indian state of Mizoram continues to experience serious food shortages and a senior state government official has admitted that although Mizoram received substantial aid from the GOI, the state government has been ineffective in its response to the food crisis. "Mautam," the cyclical bamboo flowering, which occurs approximately every 50 years, has caused a population explosion of rats that are eating the bamboo flowers and other available food, including rice crops, and causing food shortages (reftels). The bamboo flowering, which began in 2006, should finish by mid-2009. Mizo contacts said that similar food problems exist in neighboring Burma but that the Burmese Chins (Mizos of Burmese nationality) are not crossing into India in large numbers to seek food relief given the food scarcity on the Indian side of the border. Relief aid organized by the state government has not reached intended recipients, especially in the remote south and western portions of the state. Save the Children (STC),an NGO which received a grant of USD 50,000 from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for disaster relief, began distributing funds to needy families during the week of June 23. End Summary. -------------- -------------- STATE OFFICIAL EXPRESSES GRATITUDE FOR USG SUPPORT -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) During a June visit to Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram, Assistant Public Affairs Officer (APAO) and PAS FSNs met with Mizo contacts, including state government officials, NGOs, academics, and journalists to assess conditions in this remote state bordering Burma. APAO met the highest-ranking administrative official Chief Secretary Haukhum Hauzel, who expressed gratitude for USG assistance in response to the state's food crisis. (Note: On May 19 the USG announced $50,000 would be given to the NGO Save the Children (STC) in response to the food shortage in Mizoram.) Hauzel defended the GOM's response to the food shortage, and was careful to say that the current situation is "not a famine." He also insisted that no deaths had taken place due to starvation. He expressed the desire to show that the GOM had the situation under control and wanted to avoid the impression of relying too much on outside help. ¶3. (SBU) In a June 12 meeting, the GOM's Diretor of Information and Public Relations L.R. Sailo told APAO that he believed that the GOM's response to the crisis had been too slow. In 2004-2005, the GOM submitted a Bamboo Flowering and Famine Combat Scheme (BAFFACOS) to the central government to respond to the anticipated food shortage from the impending bamboo flowering (ref. d). Through BAFFACOS more than Rs. 100 crore (USD 25 million) was transferred from the GOI to the GOM in the past two years. Some academics and contacts who met with APAO asserted that the GOM had squandered the money through corruption and poor planning. The consensus among many contacts was that BAFFACOS failed to prevent the food shortages. In addition, the GOM's poor performance could damage the ruling party, the Mizo National Front's (MNF) political standing. -------------- - NGO TO MAKE EFFICIENT USE OF USG DONATION -------------- - ¶4. (SBU) NGO Save the Children, recipient of USD 50,000 in May from USAID in response to the food situation in Mizoram, is providing relief to affected villagers. Earlier on June 17 in Kolkata, STC program coordinator Avinash Lahkar explained to APAO the plans for distributing the USAID funds. Lahkar said that Saiha, the southern-most district in Mizoram, had been selected as the focus area for relief efforts, because it was one of the hardest-hit regions. Given its remoteness, absence of infrastructure, and low development indicators compared to the rest of Mizoram, the suffering was more acute in Saiha. STC will focus on 10 villages, comprising roughly 700 families. Each family will receive Rupees 2,400 (approximately USD 60),to be deposited in "pass book" accounts at the local post office. KOLKATA 00000187 002.2 OF 002 According to Lahkar, the post office, under the direction of the central government, represents a reliable partner, and will ensure transparency and accountability through identity checks before funds can be withdrawn from the accounts. According to Lahkar, BAFFACOS has been a "total failure" and the local populace has lost faith in the GOM because of its ineffectual handling of the food crisis. ¶5. (SBU) In addition to providing relief, STC hopes to teach lessons about budgeting and sound financial management through the distribution of funds, as families will have to consider how to spend the Rs. 2,400. STC has found that 60 percent of aid recipients can be expected to use the money to purchase rice. Families may also contribute to the Mizoram Public Distribution System (PDS) of rice, which necessitates buying the grain in bulk. Temporarily flush with funds, villagers can pool their financial resources to buy rice in bulk to stock up for future needs. Under the PDS, the maximum allotment per family is 35 kg per family per week. With the grant Rs. 2,400 per household, families will now be able to buy their full quota of rice (35 kg/week). This would be prudent, especially considering the recent onset of the monsoon rains, which often cause landslides and make travel on the region's dirt roads nearly impossible. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: With the bamboo flowering expected to last into 2009, Mizoram's food situation will likely worsen. The state government's poor response has only contributed to the people's suffering. The onset of the monsoon season, with flooding, land slides and washed-out roads, further complicates relief efforts. NGOs like Save the Children can help to some extent but Mizoram's food crisis affects more districts and people than their resources can reach. JARDINE