Nyasha N Mukapiko

Zimbabwe requires 2 million tonnes of maize every year for an estimated 13 million population. Last year the country managed to harvest 1,43 million tones of maize but this year it is likely to face severe food shortages due to the prolonged dry spell which has hit the country thereby minimizing the chances of bumper harvest.

Although the rainy season had started on a high note with some parts of the country receiving high precipitation than before, leaving crops wilting due to loss of nutrients while houses in parts of Budiriro, Hopley, Caledonia were reduced to rubbles.

Last year the government put a ban on the import of maize from neighboring countries like Zambia as a way of promoting local commercial farmers from stiff competition with a tone of maize selling for $390 at the local Grain Marketing Board (GMB).

Responding to a question from the senate last week, Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation development Deputy Minister indicated that government had already started availing permits to import maize after Chief Chiduku had raised a question on what the government was doing to avert hunger.

Mr Paul Zachariah from the Zimbabwe commercial farmers union said the erratic rains which had fallen around the country had affected yields.

“Right now I’m travelling from Chiredzi and Masvingo and most of the crops in those areas have been written-off and in some parts of Matebeleland. For the statics we don’t know yet and it’s the duty of the Ministry of Agriculture who are currently carrying the assessment”, Mr Zachariah said.

Recently in parliament Vice-President Emmerson Munangagwa announced that the government was conscious of the dry spell and indicated that he had tasked the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to mobilise funds in-order to avert hunger in the country.

In a press statement released yesterday by the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) chairman Mr. Tafadzwa Musarara said the entire southern and eastern African region had been ravaged by heat waves, resulting in massive losses in crop production, consequently reducing expected yields, with the exception of Zambia only.

South Africa is now angling to import 1, 9 million tones of yellow maize for their stock feed production in order to avert meat shortages and price surges.

The statement further went on to mention that GMAZ was about to conclude 600,000 metric tonnes GMO free white maize export quota from Zambia, a quantity adequate to provide for the country’s total commercial milling until May 2016.
In aninterview with the Sentinel GMAZ chairman said that there was not going to be maize meal shortages and prices will remain the same as they are going to ensure that they import enough maize from neighboring Zambia.
The Meteorological Services Department also highlighted that the rainy season was coming to an end thereby reducing chances of high yields on the remaining planted hectarege.