Bulk maize imports expected this year.
Financial Gazette
12/3/2020
Tabitha Mutenga
Zimbabwe’s cash-strapped government is expected to import the bulk of the estimated 2,4 million tonnes of maize required by the Southern African Development Community to avert hunger during the 2019/2020 season, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said.
The FAO 2020 Crop Prospects and Food Situation quarterly global report shows that the sub regional cereal import requirement is estimated at 9,7 million tonnes in the 2019/20 marketing year (generally April/March), slightly above average. Most of this quantity is wheat grain, which is produced in limited volumes in the sub-region and mostly in South Africa, while the remaining amount is comprised of rice and maize grain.
“The main recipient of maize imports in 2019/20 was forecast to be Zimbabwe, reflecting the well-below average harvest in 2019.
“In 2019/20, the sub-regional import requirement for maize was estimated at 2,4 million tonnes, virtually double compared to the previous year.
“The larger volume reflects the impact of extreme weather events on crop production in 2019 and the generally lower-than-average national stocks, which limited countries’ capacities to compensate for shortfalls in production,” FAO said.
However, the imports are expected to be reduced because of the foreign currency shortages as food imports shrank significantly by 33,6 percent to US$299,4 million in 2019, from US$451,2 million in 2018.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe attributed the decline to foreign currency shortages, which saw the country importing US$6,6 million worth of maize grain in the first three quarters of 2019, compared to US$37 million in the first three quarters of 2018. “On account of the country’s foreign currency deficits and sustained currency weakness, actual import volumes have been lower than expected and domestic supplies remained tight,” FAO said.
Because of the erratic rains, the 2020 harvest is anticipated to remain below the five-year average and economic conditions are anticipated to remain extremely challenging and unlikely to see a significant improvement in the food security situation in the next year.
“While the 2020 harvest is expected to provide immediate relief, food security conditions are likely to remain poor in the areas affected by seasonal rainfall deficits and where harvests are expected to remain below average for a second consecutive year.”
The number of food insecure people has risen significantly in 2019/20 and is estimated at 5,5 million in the January-March 2020 period.