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Mixed signals on food output - Excerpt from Weekly update 2003-24
Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe
June 16 - June 22, 2003

The gulf between the private and the government-controlled media once again manifested itself in the week through diametrically opposed reports on agricultural output this season. While the private Press carried several stories warning its readers of impending food shortages, the government-controlled media sought to downplay the threat of famine by feeding its audiences with positive piecemeal news of increased crop production.
For example, The Herald (18/06) reported that maize deliveries to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) had improved without presenting clear statistical evidence. The report merely suffocated its readers with meaningless general figures. For instance, it reported that the GMB has already distributed inputs, which included 4,852 tonnes of compound ‘D’ fertilizer, 209 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate, 122 tonnes of urea, 1,530 tonnes of lime and 6,314 tonnes of wheat seed for the winter wheat crop. But the report did not state what these figures represented in terms of wheat production or whether it would be enough to feed the nation. The paper’s other reports, Farmers get 200 000l of diesel (19/06) and Government to import 5 000t of fertilizer (20/06), were tailored in the same fashion. In another report of such ‘sunshine journalism’, the Chronicle (21/06) quoted President Mugabe assuring the nation that government would "ensure no one starves" without outlining how the government would go about doing so.

This is not the first time Mugabe has made such vague and unsubstantiated political assurances, using it extensively during his 2002 presidential poll campaign. And nor was it the first time that the government-controlled media avoided asking government officials how they intended to back up Mugabe’s assurances. Such shallow coverage of a critical issue such as the nation’s food security was exposed for what it was by more sobering and credible stories in the private media, which depicted a worsening food security situation in the country. For example, The Financial Gazette cited a report by the Southern Development Community Famine Early Warning Systems Network stating that, "…the Grain Marketing Board supplies are inadequate and the market is short of the staple cereal." The Daily News (16/06) quoted UNICEF official Gerry Dyer giving face to the gravity of the situation saying, "children are dying and if we don’t ratchet up our response… many of those who are malnourished will die". Its sister weekly, The Daily News on Sunday (22/06) reported that Zimbabwe "…had the highest number of people in need of food aid in the region." The Zimbabwe Independent (20/06), Half region’s food deficit in Zimbabwe, concurred.

Despite this, the Chronicle (17/06) tried to give the impression that government was ensuring adequate food supplies in its story GMB secures 50 000t wheat. The article pointed out that imports would see the country through the month of July. However, The Daily News (20/6) revealed that, on the contrary, the country would run out of bread within a week because international freighters would not release the wheat citing the GMB’s failure to pay for the shipment. The Zimbabwe Independent (20/06) reported that bread shortages were set to worsen because the hectarage under winter crop "has been drastically reduced". The article quoted the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) forecasting that the crop production would drop to about 25 percent. This alarming revelation indeed belied an earlier ZTV (17/06, 8pm) report claiming: "Winter wheat production is expected to go up by over 50% this season with farmers expected to plant 80 000 hectares. Government agencies feel adequate measures have been put in place to ensure a successful winter cropping season. These include the provision of 1,2 million litres of diesel to farmers…"

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