Mugabe admits that Zim faces food shortages

Even though organisations such as Fawsnet had already painted a grim picture on the country’s agricultural prospects this season Mugabe and his agriculture point man Joseph Made had declared that the country will have enough to feed the its people.

However, at the Independence Day commemorations Mugabe who was more composed and less emotional said that though the early rains had given much hope to the agricultural season the succeeding draught dashed hopes of farmers who had hoped for a bumper harvest.

“Many parts of the country succumbed to a prolonged drought that affected our food security. Government is assessing the situation in order to see whether there is need to import maize,” said Mugabe.

The United Nations last year issued an appeal to donors for $415 million for 2011 season as it estimated that about 1.7 million Zimbabweans will face hunger from January through March when the annual maize harvest begins.

Zimbabwe has experienced a decade of food shortages due to drought and

– say experts – as a result of the land reform program launched in 2000 by President Robert Mugabe, which severely disrupted the agricultural sector as white operators were ejected.

Christian Care National Director Reverend Forbes Matonga said donor agencies have already started distributing food in parts of the country most prone to drought.

In a new food assessment, FEWSNET said 75 percent of Zimbabweans considered to be food insecure live in rural communities in the semi-arid provinces of Matabeleland North and South and Masvingo, with the rest in urban areas facing high food costs.

FEWSNET also observed that most Zimbabweans are battling to make ends meet due to prevailing low incomes and high levels of unemployment.