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.

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STATE OFFICIAL EXPRESSES GRATITUDE FOR USG SUPPORT
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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.

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NGO TO MAKE EFFICIENT USE OF USG DONATION
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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