People eat roots

than a quarter of the population, are in danger of starvation in the coming months because of food shortages blamed on drought and the government’s chaotic program to seize thousands of white-owned commercial farms for redistribution to black settlers.
The Food Security Network, a grouping of 24 non-government organizations, said household food stocks fell to between zero and less than a month’s supply in all but one of the country’s 52 districts it monitored last month.
Supplies of grain dropped sharply, pushing up the black market prices of 20 kg of mealie meal staple by 20 times the government’s fixed price. A 10 kg bag of mealie meal is currently retailing for Z$150,000.
“The collapse in supply have produced huge reported burdens for the poorest but super profits for some,” the relief agencies said in a statement.
The group’s 150 community monitors across the country reported people foraging for roots and berries to eat, many families cutting out meals and others removing the mealie meal staple from their diet.
Underfed children were dropping out of schools or going absent to search for food.
“Poor communities spend time, transport costs and sell assets to source food,” the group said, adding that reports of displaced people increased in areas worst affected by shortages.
Political bias in selling food by the state Grain Marketing Board was among the most commonly reported obstacles to acquiring food and there was continuing concern over the latitude given to state officials to decide on who received food, the group said.
Reports said people were being forced to show their ruling party membership cards before they could buy mealie meal.
Mealie meal supplies to formal shops were scarce, with long lines and what the relief agencies termed “backdoor sales and non transparent procedures.”
Last week, a faith-based rights organisation Zimbabwe Peace Project accused the government of withholding food from opposition supporters and interfering with the distribution of international food aid.