Grain shortage pushes up maize-meal prices
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/
20.04.13
by Rebecca Moyo
POOR harvest and lack of fertilizer in the last season left the country with
severely depleted grain reserves African Development Bank (AfDB) said in its
Zimbabwe monthly economic review for March.
According to the report released this week, AfDB reported that the Grain
Marketing Board (GMB) had 92 000 tonnes of maize in its reserves and has
since stopped selling it to millers, reserving it for the grain loan scheme.
The millers require 150 000 tonnes to meet the consumer demand before the
new harvest lands on the market.
“This grain shortage has pushed up maize-meal prices. The supply of grain
under the grain loan scheme is erratic and inconsistent. This is because the
reserved grain is insufficient and transporters are not willing to move it
to the affected areas, as they are not paid on time,” said AfDB.
Usually, Zimbabwean traders import maize from Malawi, South Africa and
Zambia, but transport costs involved in moving the grain from these
countries to Zimbabwe make it expensive compared to buying it from the GMB.
Further, Zambia is currently facing food shortages and has imposed temporary
export restrictions on grain.
“The crop situation in the current season, particularly in the southern
parts of the country, is poor due to recurring droughts. Seventy-five
percent of the crop in Masvingo was written off last season due to the dry
spell,” said AfDB.
The Government of Zimbabwe estimated that at least 1,6 million people would
face food insecurities between January and March 2013.
The Famine and Early Warning Systems Network revealed that this represents a
60 percent increase in the number of people in need of food compared to the
same period last year. AfDB said government needs to come up with strategies
to ensure that grain reserves are well stocked and that transporters are
paid on time so as to avoid unnecessary food shortages in some parts of the
country.
“Government needs to not only intensify the presence of extension service
officers but also their interaction with farmers in drier areas to encourage
them to grow drought resistant crops, such as small grains,” AfDB.
AfDB said there was need to invest in research and development to come up
with new drought resistant crops that adapt well to the changing weather
conditions in these drier parts of the country.
“There is further need for long-term solutions to deal with food insecurity
problems in these parts of the country. These could be the resuscitation of
silted dams and construction of new ones, investment in community gardens,
revamping irrigation schemes and livestock dip tanks, improving livestock
practice and promoting conservation agriculture, the bank said.