Some 1.7 Million Zimbabweans To Require Food Aid Until April – FEWSNET
FEWSNET said 75 percent of Zimbabweans considered to be food insecure live
in rural communities in the semi-arid provinces of Matabeleland and
Masvingo, with the rest in urban areas facing high food costs
Ntungamili Nkomo | Washington 01 February 2011
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network or FEWSNET said Tuesday that
although economic conditions in Zimbabwe are better and food supplies have
stabilized, around 1.7 million Zimbabweans will need food aid in the first
quarter of this year.
In a new food assessment, FEWSNET said 75 percent of Zimbabweans considered
to be food insecure live in rural communities in the semi-arid provinces of
Matabeleland North and South and Masvingo, with the rest in urban areas
facing high food costs.
FEWSNET also observed that most Zimbabweans are battling to make ends meet
due to prevailing low incomes and high levels of unemployment.
To mitigate this situation, the Zimbabwean government will complement aid
distributions through cash-for-work programs, the report said, adding that
the number of needy will decline sharply in April when maize crops are being
harvested.
“While the availability of food is not a constraint to food access, limited
purchasing power continues to restrict the ability of very poor and poor
households to access enough food,” the FEWSNET report said.
Johannesburg-based food assessment specialist Mandla Nkomo told reporter
Ntungamili Nkomo that Zimbabwe must boost local production to eliminate food
shortages.
“If we look at the average yileds that we are achieving as a country, it’s
just below a tonne of maize per hectare whereas countries like South Africa
are averaging six-and-a-half tonnes,” Nkomo said. “So we really need to deal
with the issue of production.”
Once described as the bread basket of Southern Africa, Zimbabwe has become
heavily dependent on food assistance. Most agricultural experts and
economists blame the land reform program on which President Robert Mugabe
embarked in 2000.