Dear South Block, please send food aid to Madagascar and Mozambique

The Southwest Indian Ocean region comprises Madagascar, Mozambique, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles and French-controlled island territories, such as Réunion. It is in the news for the food crisis that has gripped Madagascar and Mozambique.

Mozambique is located on the mainland African continent. The rest, including Madagascar, are islands. Known as 'Vanilla Islands' as they export vanilla, these islands are popular tourist destinations. The Mozambique channel links these islands with the African continent and is a crucial maritime choke point. The Southwest Indian Ocean lies at the crossroads of India, Africa and the Middle East. Therefore, any country with a foothold in this part of the world is likely to obtain leverage to shape the strategic trajectory of the Western Indian Ocean.

Food crises

Mozambique and Madagascar are geopolitically important countries with significant resource potential. Both currently face an acute shortage of food. Unfortunately, the international community is not giving the crisis of hunger adequate attention.

Mozambique faces a food crisis due to the insurgency, whereas Madagascar is in trouble because of a climate change-triggered drought. Nearly two million people find themselves in a desperate situation.

Mozambique has faced an Islamist insurgency in its northern region of Cabo Delgado since 2017. The Mozambican military forces have not been able to stop the insurgents from taking over the vital town of Palma and the area around it. Thousands of people have fled from the region, putting pressure on the neighbouring areas where these refugees survive in difficult living conditions.

The World Food Program (WFP) has provided help to these people, yet the magnitude of the crisis is such that even the WFP is struggling to deliver sufficient assistance. It has warned that it might have to suspend relief operations unless the international community raises $121 million. If relief work were to stop, close to 700,000 people will face a food shortage.

In Madagascar, a severe drought has engulfed the country's southern parts, and as many as 1.14 million people are staring at food insecurity. It is one of the worst droughts that the large island state has witnessed in the last four decades. According to the United Nations, 14,000 people currently live "in catastrophic conditions." Thousands have left their homes in search of food, and the rest are barely surviving. A UN official has said people "have been living on raw red cactus fruits, wild leaves and locusts for months now."

The southern region of Madagascar lacks good roads and other connectivity infrastructure, which has made reaching the remotest communities a challenge. A WFP estimate suggests that $78.6 million are needed to provide life-saving food for the next lean season. It means that the WFP needs about $ 200 million to continue its relief operations in these two countries. Else, close to two million people will be left to fend for themselves in challenging conditions.

India's role

India, which has positioned itself as the preferred security partner for the Indian Ocean states, could play a role here. The Indian Navy delivered food assistance to the Horn of Africa in October-November 2020. Besides, India consistently sent aid to Madagascar in the last three years when Cyclone Idai, Cyclone Ava and a plague outbreak ravaged the island nation. Southern Madagascar faced a severe drought as well. India's assistance helped mitigate the effects of these crises. In the latest instance, India can deliver large-scale food assistance to Madagascar.

India's domestic food production has scaled new heights every year and has a food surplus. In 2019-20, India produced 297.5 million tonnes (MT) of food. It is projected to increase to 303.34 MT in 2020-21. Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said last year: "India has now reached a stage in which surplus management has become a major challenge... shifting the terms of trade in favour of agriculture is the key to sustaining this dynamic change and generating positive supply responses in agriculture."

India could perhaps deploy its domestic food surplus for advancing its foreign policy objectives in the Western Indian Ocean region, where countries routinely face either man-made or nature-induced food crises. The Indian Navy, a regular in projecting India's growing capabilities in the region, could deliver food assistance.

It would help India's cause to underscore its role as a 'net security provider' in the region when China is expanding its influence there through infrastructure investments, economic and political engagements. India's timely food assistance would help these two countries and thousands of people in need and project its growing influence in the region. In the process, offsetting China's influence would serve India's interests.

(Sankalp Gurjar is a Research Fellow with the Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi. Views are personal.)