42 districts in Nepal are food deficient: FAO

A report on Crop Prospects and Food Situation by  the Food & Agricultural Organisation's (FAO) has revealed that 42 out of 75 district in Nepal are food deficient.

According to the report, chronic and widespread food insecurity prevail in the Far- and Mid-West mountain regions, where food assistance to vulnerable populations remains limited.

In Asia, prospects for the main 2007 coarse grain and rice crops are reported to be generally favourable in the Far East, following the timely arrival of the seasonal monsoon rains. Bumper 2007 wheat crops have been gathered in China, India and Pakistan, but in Bangladesh the wheat crop was reduced by unfavourable weather conditions.

Prolonged dry spells and erratic rainfall in Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Lesotho have resulted in one of their worst main season harvests ever. In 2007 production of maize, the main staple crop in these countries, is estimated to decline by about 43 percent in Zimbabwe, 51 percent in Lesotho and 60 percent in Swaziland, compared to 2006.