White Maize

Government will soon distribute 138 000 tonnes of maize from the Strategic Grain Reserve to communities whose harvests failed in the predominantly dry 2014-15 summer cropping season.

Households will receive a package whose contents will be determined once authorities complete an ongoing ward-by-ward needs assessment.

Maize imports for food relief will follow in June.

The Second Crop and Livestock Assessment established that Zimbabwe is facing a cereal deficit of 649 859 tonnes with a harvest projection of 808 829 tonnes.

As such, Government has been making frantic efforts to ensure the worst affected do not starve.

Zimbabwe requires at least 1,4 million tonnes of maize for human consumption yearly and 350 000 tonnes for stockfeed.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira told The Sunday Mail that: “Based on the Second Crop Assessment Report, we are now going on the ground, ward by ward, to assess the availability of food and the exact requirements.

“By June, we are going to release a report, showing the actual quantities required by each area.

‘‘From those findings, we will know exactly how much we will need to import and, subsequently, distribute to communities.

‘‘We do not just import. It has to be specific to the areas.

“At the moment, we have directed the Grain Marketing Board not to sell 138 000 tonnes of maize so that we can disburse it to those without food via our Public Assistance Programme.

No one is going to starve; we are going to feed the nation.”

The report shows that eight provinces recorded cereal production deficits, with only Mashonaland Central and West returning a surplus.

Mashonaland Central harvested 204 906 tonnes, representing a surplus of over 76 000 tonnes; and Mashonaland West got 218 958 tonnes and a surplus of 54 000 tonnes.

Harare (236 226-tonne deficit) and Masvingo (131 447-tonne deficit) have the biggest shortfalls.

Aggregate production declined in all provinces, and the report notes that only six districts (Sanyati, Muzarabani, Shamva, Goromonzi, Seke and Chirumhanzu) achieved cereal sufficiency for the next 12 to 18 months.

Zimbabwe recorded a huge 49 percent drop in maize production, with small grains the hardest hit as sorghum and pearl millet production fell by 71 percent. Finger millet production dropped from 11 009 tonnes in the previous season to 4 470 tonnes.

The yield per hectare declined by 44 percent and the overall hectarage under maize fell by 11 percent.

Commercial agriculture remained the biggest contributor – accounting for 279 300 tonnes (38 percent) of total production.

Following on closely behind are A2 and A1 farmers who contributed 30 percent and 21 percent of total maize output, respectively.

Cash crops were not spared as tobacco production fell by 26 percent while cotton production also dropped from 114 724 mt to 67 649 tonnes.

Zimbabwe’s agricultural production was largely affected by a prolonged mid-season dry spell, which saw maize being written off in most parts.

Other Sadc countries such as Mozambique, Namibia, Mozambique, DRC, South Africa and Botswana did not perform well either due to unfavourable weather conditions.

Zambia is the only Sadc country that will feed itself and export maize.