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Sustained rainfall supports the beginning of 2019 Season B across Rwanda

  • Key Message Update
  • Rwanda
  • March 2019
Sustained rainfall supports the beginning of 2019 Season B across Rwanda

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  • Key Messages
  • Key Messages
    • Official production estimates for 2019 Season A are pending, however FEWS NET estimates that national crop production is above average overall, despite reports of a 20 percent reduction in bean crop production in East and South provinces. Looking forward, 2019 Season B planting is nearly completed and harvest estimates for May/June have been revised to be average given the updated forecast for average cumulative rainfall. Adequate food availability through September 2019 is likely to sustain Minimal (IPC Phase 1) outcomes.

    • The Government of Rwanda closed the northern border posts of Cyanika and Katuna on February 28 and redirected cargo to the slower, northeastern border post of Mirama Hill, reflecting difficult relations between Uganda and Rwanda. Although overall staple food prices declined and remain below the five-year average, key informants note that border closures are leading to slight price increases in commodities typically imported from Uganda. If these crossings remain closed in the near-term, the price of maize, a main import, is likely to increase, but is expected to remain below average.

    • As of February 18, 2019, UNHCR reports that Rwanda hosts approximately 148,000 refugees. Due in part to humanitarian assistance and sustained refugee integration into national safety net systems, most refugees are expected to face no acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 1!), although some are likely Stressed! (IPC Phase 2!). Other areas of concern where households may face short-term Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes include regions likely to be affected by flooding and landslides, particularly in the North and West Provinces, which are vulnerable to those disasters.

    This Key Message Update provides a high-level analysis of current acute food insecurity conditions and any changes to FEWS NET's latest projection of acute food insecurity outcomes in the specified geography. Learn more here.

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