Hunger reverses marked poverty reduction

RETHABILE MOHONO

MASERU – The national food insecurity crisis in Lesotho has reached alarming proportions, compelling Prime Minister Samuel Matekane to officially declare a national disaster. This announcement comes after the country has been grappling with severe hunger for an extended period.

Lesotho currently ranks 121 out of 125 countries in the 2023 Global Hunger Index (GHI), with a distressing score of 35.5. The 2023 World Bank report indicates a reduction in the population living below the national poverty line from 56.6 percent in 2002 to 49.7 percent in 2017, yet these improvements are overshadowed by the pressing food crisis.

Matekane recently declared a national food insecurity disaster, effective from July 12, 2024, to March 31, 2025, in response to 700,000 people facing severe food insecurity.

This declaration, made pursuant to Section 3 of the Disaster Management Act No. 2 of 1997, follows a vulnerability assessment study revealing that 700,000 individuals in Lesotho are experiencing severe food insecurity due to the El Niño-induced drought.

El Niño-induced droughts, significant climatic events within the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, involve the warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.

This warming disrupts normal weather patterns, often leading to drought conditions worldwide.

The declaration underscores the urgent need for intervention to address the extensive hunger and malnutrition resulting from these climatic events.

“In recalling the period from mid-December last year to March 2024, the Southern African Region, including Lesotho, faced the impacts of El Niño. During this time, the region experienced insufficient rainfall, resulting in drought conditions that adversely affected crops, despite initial hopes for a promising harvest in many areas,” he said.

He further showed that a national survey on vulnerability showed that around 700,000 Basotho are presently experiencing food insecurity, surpassing the 582,000 reported during the 2023–2024 harvest season.

Tackling this crisis necessitates M1.2 billion, with the government designating M200 million to aid vulnerable families through food-for-work programmes.

Additionally, Matekane cautioned that the drought is projected to worsen, significantly affecting food availability, nutrition, and livelihoods.

The national food insecurity disaster has significantly impacted the country’s youth and women, many of whom are breadwinners and among the most vulnerable populations.

Reports indicate that the youth unemployment rate in Lesotho was 24.51 percent in 2023. In 2022, the total youth unemployment rate was 26.66 percent with 18.93 percent being males and 37.11 percent being females.

Matekane announced that the Disaster Management Authority (DMA) will imminently unveil an extensive policy in partnership with various stakeholders.

This policy aims to guide government actions, such as providing food packages for six months, establishing community-driven employment initiatives for a year or longer, and formulating plans to address potential food insecurity challenges in the future.

He said the government, alongside its partners, is mobilising resources to provide essential food aid and implement strategies to alleviate the crisis.

Lesotho’s declaration of a national food insecurity disaster is due to severe drought conditions, which have also impacted Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

These three nations have declared states of disaster after suffering significant crop losses, with maize harvests reported as devastated by 40 to 80 percent. At an extraordinary summit of the heads of state and government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held in May, leaders discussed the ongoing crisis, noting that 61 million people have been impacted by El Niño. They launched a humanitarian appeal for US$5.5 billion to supplement the resources of the affected Member States and address urgent humanitarian needs.

Matekane calls on development partners and friends of Lesotho to assist the 700,000 people in urgent need of food support. “I appeal to national, regional, and international humanitarian intervention,” he said.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reports that “millions of people continue to experience high levels of acute food insecurity in the SADC region, exacerbated by conflict, drought, the COVID-19 pandemic, and economic decline.” Around 36 million people in 10 countries, including Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zambia, are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.

“This means people can meet minimum food needs, but only by depleting essential livelihood assets or through crisis or emergency coping strategies,” he said.

Before the declaration earlier this year, food prices had already risen significantly. Lesotho Flour Mills announced a 15 percent increase in the price of maize, leading to higher food costs across the country. This increase followed a previous surge in raw white maize prices, which rose by 39 percent in just two months due to drought and unusually hot weather during the previous season. Prices escalated from M3,800 per metric tonne on January 31, 2024, to M5,300 by March 31, 2024.

“We were hopeful at the time that raw white maize prices would stabilise during April following rainfall late in the season. Unfortunately, the rainfall was too late to impact the crop yields, and prices surged further up to levels of R5,500 per metric tonne during the past week,” the Lesotho Flour Mills statement revealed.

In early April, Lesotho Flour Mills announced a 7 percent adjustment on all maize products, effective April 8. This decision followed a significant increase in Safex maize prices during March 2024. The South African Futures Exchange (Safex), a subsidiary of JSE Limited in Johannesburg, trades both equity derivatives and agricultural derivatives, including those that determine the prices offered by Lesotho Flour Mills.

The company highlighted that while white maize traded between R3,700 and R3,900 per metric tonne in January, recent levels had shot up to as high as R5,300. “This spike follows high temperatures and low rainfall experienced during February and March 2024,” the statement noted.

It also indicated that major maize production crop failures are expected across Southern Africa, contributing to the surge in maize prices. Further price increases are anticipated, with wholesale prices projected to reach up to M8,800 per metric tonne.

In a previous interview with this publication, economist Topollo Motlamelle highlighted that climate change significantly contributes to rising prices across various sectors.

“The adverse impact of prolonged dry seasons has severely affected agriculture, not only in Lesotho but also in neighbouring countries that we heavily depend on,” he said, explaining the noticeable decline in crop production this year. Motlamelle also noted that the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a significant factor driving up food prices.

“We must consider that Russia is responsible for around 40 percent of global grain production, so it is natural for prices to rise when a major grain producer is involved in a war,” he explained.

He proposed that as the situation worsens, the Government of Lesotho may need to provide subsidies for essential items. He said maize is a crucial part of the diet, and if people cannot afford it, it will lead to extreme poverty.

In April this year, the Lesotho Electricity and Water Authority (LEWA) approved a 9.6286 percent increase in energy and maximum demand tariffs, along with a 5.0 percent rise in the lifeline tariff. The new rates came into effect on April 1, 2024. The energy and maximum demand tariffs are charged to consumers who use more power, especially in the commercial sector, while the “lifeline” tariff is mainly for domestic users.

According to LEWA, LEC requested a 23 percent adjustment for the “maximum demand” category and a 15 percent adjustment for the “lifeline” category for the financial years 2023/24, 2024/25, and 2025/26 to meet its financial goals. Additionally, the Petroleum Fund reported a substantial increase in fuel expenses last week, following a slight decrease the previous month.