SOMALIA: Best cereal production for years in south
NAIROBI, 17 MARCH 2003 (IRIN) - A food security watchdog says southern Somalia has recorded the best cereal production in years, due to good seasonal rains.

In its latest report, the Food Security Assessment Unit (FSAU) - a joint project of the EC and FAO - said "very good rainfall with high intensity and frequency" in the region had led to the "best ever recorded" cereal production in the post-war era.

It noted that cereal production following the deyr rains (October-December) had registered almost an 80 percent increase on the 1995-2001 period.