HIGHLIGHTS AND SITUATION SUMMARY
This issue covers the period of mid-March to mid-July 2015, the third trimester of Nepalese Fiscal Year 2071/72. This bulletin is based on the outcomes of NeKSAP district food security network (DFSN) meetings held in 74 of 75 districts during July 2015. During this period Nepal experienced a major earthquake on 25 April and a series of aftershocks which significantly affected livelihoods and food security. This bulletin captures the impact of the earthquake, changes between May and July, seasonal changes associated with the monsoon and other events that affected food security.
In this period:
DFSNs classified 10 Village Development Committees (VDCs) in Sindhupalchowk as severely food insecure (Phase 4) with an estimated 28,700 affected people. This situation was attributed to the 25 April earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, including the biggest one on 12 May.
DFSNs classified an additional 224 VDCs in 11 districts as highly food insecure (Phase 3) with an estimated 500,300 affected people. DFSNs classified another 329 VDCs in 23 districts as moderately food insecure (Phase 2) and the other 3,360 VDCs and municipalities as minimally food insecure (Phase 1).
The food security situation in the earthquake-affected districts has improved compared to the situation in mid-May and early June, when DFSNs, through ad hoc meetings, classified 372 VDCs as highly food insecure (Phase 3) and severely food insecure (Phase 4). Improvements since May were attributed to humanitarian assistance, the winter harvest (wheat and potato), resumption of market function and better road access.
Winter crops (wheat and barley) were harvested and production was estimated by the Ministry of Agricultural Development at 2 million mt, an increase of 10.86 percent compared to the ‘normal’ level and 4.95 percent compared to 2013/14. Despite the earthquake, overall winter cereal production in 2014/15 was at a record high. However, the prospect for 2015 summer crop production appears unfavorable, as rainfall was reported as insufficient in many paddy and maize growing districts.
According to Nepal Rastra Bank, the year-on-year Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 7.6 percent in July 2015 compared to 8.1 percent in the corresponding period last year. The cereal grain sub-group was 12.6 percent in July 2015.