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Weather hits Zimbabwe food supply
The Times (SA)
April 11, 2008

http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=746501

Extreme dry weather in several provinces of Zimbabwe is likely to cause serious damage to the main 2008 maize harvest, a United Nations (UN) food agency warned.

"This could aggravate an already precarious food security situation in the country," the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) said.

While excessive rains persisted during December and January caused serious flooding in some low-lying areas, several provinces have been facing prolonged dry spells since February. This will affect maize growth and yields to be harvested in May/June, FAO noted.

In addition to weather-related difficulties, farmers have faced shortages of key inputs, including fertiliser, seed, fuel, and tillage power this season. Fertiliser in particular has been in short supply. Farmers also suffered flood-related damage in several districts earlier in the season.

The food security situation in Zimbabwe is critical, FAO said. Of the estimated 1.03 million tons of cereal import requirement for 2007/08, some 839,000 tons, or about 81% of the total, have reportedly been imported so far.

This includes 589,000 tons of commercial deliveries, mainly from neighboring Malawi and Zambia, and 250,000 tons of food aid.

However, with the world's highest annual rate of inflation - above 100,000 percent in December 2007 - food insecurity for about one-third of the vulnerable population keeps worsening.

With dwindling foreign exchange reserves and shrinking purchasing power, another year of low cereal production would severely affect the food security condition for a significant part of the population unless substantial assistance was provided, FAO said.

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