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Hunger 13th January 2005 Harare - Zimbabweans are hungrier than ever this summer and the situation is deteriorating fast as basic food prices escalate and mealie meal disappears from supermarket shelves. To make it worse, early predictions for this season's maize crop are that it will be the smallest in decades. Last week, the regional forecaster, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fewsnet), issued its December report, saying the situation had now developed into an emergency. However, some of its information has already been overtaken by sudden increases in the cost of basic food and a widespread shortage of maize meal, even in leading supermarkets. Next week, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation is expected to complete its national crop assessment, and early indications are that agricultural production could turn out to be a disaster in a season of almost average rainfall. "It may turn out to be as bad as 2001, which was a drought year," said a top official of a leading humanitarian non-governmental organisation, who asked not to be named. "Imports of South African maize will never be able to come in fast enough to feed the population, even if people could afford to buy mealie meal," he said. A combination of land seizures, which led to the collapse of most commercial agriculture and drought in 2001/2 resulted in the largest programme of food distribution in Zimbabwe's history. Agriculture Minister Joseph Made said this week: "We have not released figures for this season's maize crop as we are not yet finished with late planting for the second part of the season." Last year, President Robert Mugabe told donors to keep their money as he claimed Zimbabwe had grown a record maize crop of 2,4-million tons, but only a sixth of what he predicted was delivered to the Grain Marketing Board, according to statistics released in parliament. "High inflation and the Grain Marketing Board monopoly over marketing maize are exacerbating the situation," said Fewsnet, adding that inflation on food prices was at 143% in November. However, between December 22 and January 10, mealie meal, when available, increased by nearly 50% on a 10kg bag in a leading supermarket chain. The price of meat increased by more than 10% in the same period and milk, when available, now costs about R8,50 a litre. Most food crops are grown in the hot Mashonaland West province, but agricultural analysts say about 70% of a small maize crop was planted too late. "We are seeing people still planting now, which is ridiculous," said an analyst. Mugabe this week vowed to press ahead with controversial land reform policies. The
Star (SA) |