The Zimbabwean government is set to import corn from Mexico, Ukraine and South Africa to help feed over half of the population following last year’s crippling drought. The country expects corn crop volumes to drop further this year.
In a Bloomberg article published on Friday, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the country would not only increase corn imports but other consumables for up to eight million of Zimbabwe’s impoverished citizens.
“With the difficulty of things now, the industry ministry is looking at adding cooking oil, salt, bread and soap to the list of subsidised items for consumers,” Mnangagwa said while cleaning litter in the streets of Kuwadzana, a city on the western border of Harare.
In a country where 90% of adults are without formal employment, the decline in crop volumes has left the Zimbabwean government facing a food shortage conundrum. More than two million metric tons of corn are consumed in Zimbabwe per year.
On December 31, the World Food Programme announced plans to help feed four out of the eight million people suffering due to the ongoing drought, but called on the international community to increase donations to mitigate the food shortage crisis.
It could have a disastrous impact on Zimbabwe if the government does not find a solution to the persistent drought. The decline in crop numbers is set to run until March 2021. – Bjorn Vorster
