Cablegate: Wfp Continues to Expand Distributions In

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 000541

SIPDIS

USAID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA FOR KHANDAGLE AND MARX,
DCHA/FFP FOR LANDIS, PETERSEN AND WHELAN,
AFR/SA FOR FORT AND COPSON
STATE FOR AF/S DELISI AND RAYNOR
NAIROBI FOR DCHA/OFDA/ARO FOR RILEY
NSC FOR DWORKIN
PRETORIA FOR USAID/DCHA/FFP FOR DISKIN,
DCHA/OFDA FOR BRYAN AND FAS FOR HELM
ROME PLEASE PASS TO FODAG

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID PREL US ZI
SUBJECT: WFP CONTINUES TO EXPAND DISTRIBUTIONS IN
FEBRUARY 2003

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SUMMARY
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1. During February 2003, the World Food Programme
(WFP) distributed 54,567 metric tons (MT) of food
commodities in Zimbabwe, increasing by over 10,000
MT distribution totals from January 2003. The
distribution reached 4.285 million beneficiaries
in 49 targeted districts. In March 2003, WFP
plans to target 4.7 million beneficiaries with
59,262 MT of food commodities. Including other
pipeline sources, notably USAID's C-SAFE
(Consortium for the Southern Africa Food Security
Emergency) pipeline covering 7 additional
districts, a total of 5.529 million beneficiaries
in rural and communal areas are expected to be
reached in March. WFP reports that it will have
sufficient food commodities to meet cereal
distribution requirements through the end of April
2003. Adequate supplies of pulses and oil still
need to be confirmed for this period. Due to
adequate existing milling arrangements, it is
increasingly unlikely that WFP will need to mill
US-donated maize in Harare or Gweru at this stage.
The United States remains the largest single donor
to the WFP emergency operation in Zimbabwe. END
SUMMARY.

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WFP EXPANDS DISTRIBUTION QUANTITY IN FEBRUARY
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2. During February 2003, WFP and its implementing
partners (IPs) distributed a total of 54,567 MT of
food commodities to 4.285 million beneficiaries in
49 of 49 targeted districts in Zimbabwe. The
February distribution was WFP's largest to date,
over 10,000 MT more than January's 42,428 MT. The
current distribution was also able to reach over 1
million more beneficiaries than the January
distribution. The total tonnage distributed
during February consisted of 42,961 MT of maize,
4,347 MT of pulses, 2,536 MT of vegetable oil, and
4,723 MT of corn-soy blend (CSB).

3. NOTE: According to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability
Assessment Committee's December Report, there are
5.9 million rural Zimbabweans in need of food
assistance. WFP has assumed responsibility for
covering food aid needs in 49 of Zimbabwe's 57
rural districts. The total population in need in
these 49 districts is estimated to be 5.1 million
people. Of the remaining eight districts, seven
are covered by the USAID-funded C-SAFE, and one is
covered by Save the Children-United Kingdom. The
total population in need in these eight
"bilateral" districts is roughly 0.8 million. END
NOTE.

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BENEFICIARY TARGETS AND PROJECTIONS
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4. In January, WFP projected that its February
distributions would be 53,500 MT and 4.25 million
beneficiaries. WFP surpassed the projection in
terms of tonnage delivered and essentially met the
targeted number of beneficiaries for the month of
February.

5. For March 2003, WFP plans to target roughly 93
percent of the total rural population in need,
that is, 4.7 million beneficiaries of the
estimated 5.1 million. A total of 59,262 MT of
food commodities is projected to be distributed in
all 49 of WFP's targeted districts. Comment:
When combined with the C-SAFE pipeline which is
distributing food to nearly 700,000 beneficiaries
in 7 districts for a total of over 5.5 million
people, the international food assistance effort
has become immense. Although post is still unable
to get accurate data on GOZ food imports and
distributions, it seems clear that international
food now dwarfs other sources of food,
particularly GOZ food, and can no longer be
characterized as targeted food assistance. End
Comment.

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FOOD PIPELINE STRONG THROUGH END OF APRIL
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6. At WFP's current ration of 10 kilograms (kg)
of cereals, 1.0 kg. of pulses/beans and 0.6 kg.
vegetable oil per person per month (pppm), it
projects that it will have sufficient cereal
supplies to provide a full ration to all of its
targeted beneficiaries through the end of April
2003. Full rations for pulses and oil up to the
end of April 2003 still need to be confirmed. By
the end of March, WFP expects to stop general
distribution of dry CSB rations, in favor of
targeted supplementary feeding in all districts
for selected vulnerable groups. WFP is currently
identifying additional partner organizations to
implement the supplementary feeding program.

7. WFP's current Emergency Operation (EMOP)
10200.0 is scheduled to be completed at the end of
March 2003. The EMOP will be extended by three
months, until the end of June 2003. In May, in
expectation of the maize harvest, WFP projects
that it will cut its beneficiary population from
the current high of 5.0 million beneficiaries.
The extent of the cuts will depend on crop
assessments for the upcoming harvest, expected to
be completed by the end of March, and other
factors described below. WFP will likely require
additional pledges of cereals, pulses, and CSB to
meet beneficiary requirements through the end of
June. These actual needs will be better clarified
once the crop assessments are completed,
beneficiary numbers are readjusted, as necessary,
and other donor contributions are confirmed.
Based on current rough estimates, WFP projects a
shortfall of some 50,000 MT of cereals, 15,000 MT
of pulses, and 20,000 MT CSB through the end of
June 2003.

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HUMANITARIAN BRIDGE TO OPEN AT BEITBRIDGE
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8. WFP has reached agreement with the Government
of South Africa and the Government of Zimbabwe
(GOZ) to reopen the old bridge over the Limpopo
River at the Beitbridge/Messina border crossing.
The bridge will be used for humanitarian purposes
only, and is expected to greatly reduce the time
required for humanitarian assistance to transit
the border. The bridge is still undergoing
rehabilitation, and is expected to open in late
March (2003).

9. WFP has deployed a full-time expatriate
logistics officer to work at the Beitbridge border
crossing. The logistics officer reports good
cooperation with GOZ authorities and that average
commercial crossing time has been reduced to ten
hours from three days during December.
Bottlenecks at the border crossing that appeared
in early March have now been resolved, and the
transit of commodities has been significantly
facilitated.

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HARARE MILL UNLIKELY TO OPEN
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10. Due to concerns about US-donated biotech
maize, the GOZ continues to require WFP to mill
all GM maize prior to distribution. WFP is
currently milling approximately 12,000 MT of US
maize per month in Bulawayo, and 8,000 MT per
month in South Africa. Because of adequate
current capacity in Bulawayo and South Africa at
this stage, remaining stocks of maize are not
expected to necessitate the use of additional
milling sites in Harare or Gweru.

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CURRENT RESOURCES
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11. The Zimbabwe portion of WFP's EMOP 10200.0
for Southern Africa has been 83 percent resourced.
As of March 10, WFP had received commitments of
375,759 MT of food commodities. The total appeal
under EMOP 10200.0 was for 452,955 MT. If WFP
receives new commitments equal to the 77,196 MT
shortfall, WFP reports that it will have
sufficient commodities to meet beneficiary
requirements through the end of June 2003. The
United States remains the largest single donor,
pledging 136,873 MT, valued at about $67 million,
towards EMOP 10200.0, or about 36% of total donor
pledges to date. Since February 2002, the United
States has committed a total of 165,493 MT of food
commodities to WFP's two EMOPs 10200.0 and
10140.0, valued at more than $82 million.

12. WFP has accepted a pledge of 100,000 MT of
maize from South Africa for the current food
security crisis in Southern Africa. WFP expects
that approximately 64,000 MT of this maize will be
designated for Zimbabwe. South Africa, however,
is not able to provide the necessary funding to
transport the commodities to Zimbabwe or deliver
them to the final delivery points. DFID
(Department for International Development)-UK and
the Norwegian Government have pledged to cover a
significant portion of these transport costs, and
other donors are being sought to cover the
remaining gap. SULLIVAN

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