In Haiti, below-average harvests for the fall agricultural season are expected after months of rainfall deficits in the dry regions of the country. Households in these areas and those located in poor neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince under the influence of gangs, will face the outcomes of the Crisis (IPC Phase 3) until May 2022. However, the areas affected by the August earthquake, will be stressed! (IPC Phase 2!) At least until February 2022, due to ongoing humanitarian food aid.
Fuel shortages, political unrest, insecurity and a diplomatic incident between Haiti and the Dominican Republic have disrupted transportation and markets. Tightening border controls are likely to disrupt trade, impact income and increase pressure on households to house expelled relatives. Local corn and black bean prices were flat in November, but above last year’s prices and the five-year average, while prices of imported staple foods continued to rise. After two months, fuel distribution resumed across the country; however, supply remains limited, due to hoarding and resale in the informal market.
In Central America, the availability and access to food will continue to improve for households due to seasonal trends. However, the high prices of fuel, transport and food limit the purchasing power of poor households, resulting in Stress (IPC Phase 2) results in much of the region. Parts of the Guatemalan and Honduran Dry Corridor, as well as eastern Honduras, the Altiplano in Guatemala, and areas affected by hurricanes Eta and Iota are expected to experience crisis outcomes (IPC Phase 3) throughout. the lean season. In Guatemala, this is due to high prices and the lingering impacts of previous shocks, while in Honduras, losses of * primary * smallholder farmers’ crops and limited food stocks and income from the coffee harvest are at the forefront. origin of these results.
Markets were well supplied and functioned normally in November. Despite a slight seasonal decline in food prices, they remain above last year’s prices and the five-year average. This atypical behavior is partly due to the high prices of fertilizers and fuels and to general inflation. In Guatemala, additional factors have been irregularities in grain imports from Mexico and recent protests and roadblocks, which have disrupted supply lines. In Honduras, lower flows and lower supply in the markets also suggest that the primera the harvest was more affected by the dry conditions than expected.
Improvements in coffee prices are offset by an anticipated decrease in overall coffee production in Honduras, limiting the benefits to producers. Production in Honduras has been limited due to climatic impacts, high rates of coffee rust and reduced supply of agricultural labor. Continued below average precipitation in October and November is likely to result in localized losses of will post crops, especially in the dry corridor of Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. For the postrera tardia / apante season, average rainfall and harvests are expected; however, above-average rainfall forecast for Nicaragua is likely to adversely affect the bean crops.