Economic collapse worsens food crisis

By Tichaona Sibanda
21 June 2007

Revised projections of food availability in the country indicate that millions of people will need food aid by the end of July and not November, as predicted by two United Nations food agencies.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme predicted in May that a poor harvest coupled with a worsening economic crisis will leave more than four million people in Zimbabwe in need of food assistance by the end of this year.

Agricultural expert Seiso Moyo said there was a need for food relief not only for people in rural areas but many others in urban areas. The country has only managed to make available 400 000 tonnes of food aid, out of the required 1,8 million tonnes.

Moyo explained that most of the grain imported into country had been clandestinely sold or bought by wholesalers and supermarket giants with close links to the regime. ‘When the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and the United Nations World Food Programme came up with those figures they had looked at food on the ground, but all that has gone and it’s being re-sold to retailers at exorbitant prices by dealers linked to Zanu (PF),’ Moyo said.

The Zanu (PF) regime has monopolised the distribution of food aid in the country and is reluctant to acknowledge there is a food crisis in the country. Between now and the next rainy season almost 1,4 million tonnes of food is now required, but the regime seems unconcerned about the urgent need to request food aid from the international community.

Moyo says that because of the very unstable dollar many retailers are now charging in forex for food.