World Food Needs and Availabilities, 1989-90: Winter

摘要

Global cereal aid needs remain high, despite a continuance of relatively favorable weather in food-deficit countries. The report provides an estimate of food import and food aid needs in the 1989/90 and 1990/91 trade years for 55 countries, including a detailed analysis for 32 of them. Two alternative measures of food needs are used - status quo assessment (the additional food needed to maintain recent levels of food consumption) and nutrition-based assessment (the additional food required to meet minimum daily requirements). The maximum amount of food aid which can be absorbed by the country's delivery system is also assessed. Estimated 1989/90 status quo needs are about the same as for 1988/89. Needs for sub-Saharan Africa are up from 1988/89. North African and Latin American needs also increased, while Asian needs decreased. Nutrition-based needs are down sharply in Asia as well, but these declines are offset by increases in Africa. Needs in Latin America jumped. The report also finds that rising cereal prices on world markets, poor export earnings, and continued debt service requirements limit the ability of developing countries to pay for food imports.