Highlights
• The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry estimates below average cereal crop production at 75,300 metric tonnes for the 2016-2017 marketing year. With an annual national cereal consumption of 326,500 metric tonnes, this leaves a deficit of 251,200 metric tonnes to be covered under commercial imports.
• The highest percentage of food insecure households are found in the Kavango West (62.5%), Zambezi (50.7%) and Otjozondjupa (41.3%) regions.
• Most food commodities are available in the local markets, although at higher prices than those observed at the same time last year. Since the beginning of the year maize meal prices registered a 15% upward change.
• Overall food consumption patterns remain acceptable across the country, except for Kavango West which registered the highest percentage (51%) of households with poor consumption scores.
• Cattle/Maize meal Terms of Trade remain unfavourable across all regions due to poor animal body conditions and increasing maize meal prices as a result of the effects of the current drought.
• A total of 2.4% of children aged 6-59m were identified as being severely acutely malnourished (SAM) and 3.8% as moderately malnourished (MAM).
• Widespread open defaecation remains high across all regions.