West Africa: Food Prices Still Climbing, Crisis Feared

Food prices at markets across West Africa are already high for the time of year and are still rising, market analysts warn, suggesting aid agencies should prepare for a potentially serious hunger crisis later in the year as people across the impoverished region may not be unable to afford to buy enough to eat, despite food being available.

Normally in January and February cereal and grain prices in West Africa are driven down as harvests from the year before start hitting the markets.
But production of cereals was low across the region in 2007 because of a late start and early end to the rainy season, which affected production of millet, sorghum and maize, and analysts say traders are seeking to maximise profit by hoarding stocks, because they know the low production will yield higher prices.

“Traders are still buying in as much as possible to hold onto it until the price has doubled or more,” said Salif Sow, regional representative of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) food monitoring group.

FEWS NET has recorded rising prices at important markets in northern Nigeria, Ghana, Togo and Benin.

AllAfrica