via Zanu-PF blames MDC as 2.2m face hunger | News24 2013-10-09

At least 2.2 million Zimbabweans will need food assistance early next year, according to a report released by the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee.

The committee also revealed that 1.5 million people were food insecure, Herald said on Wednesday.

President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party blames the country’s poor harvests on the former minister of finance Tendai Biti who they accuse of starving the farming sector of funds during his tenure.

Biti from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change was the minister of finance in the inclusive government which ended after Zanu-PF “resoundingly” won the 31 July elections.

The funding woes were compounded by poor rains received in some parts of the country, the report said.

Once regarded the bread basket of Africa, Zimbabwe started experiencing serious food deficits over a decade ago after Mugabe’s government embarked on a violent land reform programme.

At least 4 000 white commercial farmers were evicted from their farms.