A dry spell and lack of fertilisers in 2012 has led to a poor harvest and aid agencies monitoring agricultural development in a country once known as food supplier to the rest of southern Africa believe almost two million people could face severe food shortages this year.
“Zimbabwe requires approximately two million tons of maize every year,” Charles Taffs, the President of the Commercial Farmers Union said in an interview with The Zimbabwean. “Over the last 15 years, we have seen a decline in average yield from 1.2 tonnes per ha. to .69 tonnes per ha. (these being country averages) and this is due mainly to the high yielding commercial crops of seven tonnes a ha. no longer being a factor. In the past, the small-scale sector produced the bulk of the national crop, something between 60-70 percent but the remainder was produced by the commercial sector. The significance of the commercial crop was that in times of drought it could be relied upon as much of it was irrigated, whereas the small-scale sector was gown all on dry land and therefore weather dependant.”
He added: “The commercial crop was invaluable in terms of country planning and strategic reserve stocks. What we now have is a situation whereby the entire national maize crop is weather reliant and so we are constantly at the mercy of the weather.
“With the demise of the whole agricultural supply chain, we have seen agricultural inputs being made available for maize. In terms of donor support, farmers are given no choice but to grow maize, with the result that large areas of maize are planted every year in regions not suitable for maize – such as regions 4 and 5 resulting in annual crop failures.”
Referring to a fairly recent development which might make the cash registers ring for people demanding regular and fairly cheap supplies of tobacco, but at a time when close to two million Zimbabweans face food shortages, he said:” Yes, we are now seeing more and more contract farming taking place for crops such as tobacco, where the funders are not keen for their farmers to grow crops which they are not funding. So this year, we have been a decline in maize planting in the Highveld, which is going to have a negative effect on household food security in those areas.”
He said that situation was made worse because the traditional buyer of maize, the Grain Marketing Board, “has become unreliable in terms of payment, so many people have again reduced their planting to only what they require to feed their own families.”
Where does this leave Zimbabwe in 2013, I asked?
“We have a year on year shortfall of approximately one million tonnes which, in previous years, has been covered by cheap imports from countries with surplus crops such as Zambia,” he replied.
But, explain UN officials and experts from the Red Cross, this year, Zambia also faces food problems and so Zimbabwe is in a position where it seems likely to have to import a still undisclosed tonnage of genetically modified maize from South Africa.
Said Taffs: “This is going to cost consumers dearly as the maize price is hitting new highs and the government has no money to buy, so the private sector will have to carry the costs which will lead to food price hikes. We are, without doubt, going into a very serious period with food protests a distinct possibility.”
“The price of maize was around $260 a ton in 2012,” explained Fungai Mungate, chairman of the Stock Feed Manufacturers Association in Zimbabwe. “But it has escalated to $380 a ton. There is a major shortage of maize on the market. For the past years now, the industry has depended on local maize supplies and imports from Zambia. But due to problems in Zambia, between November and December 2012, that country imposed some kind of restrictions or an unofficial ban on maize exports to Zimbabwe As we speak, there has been no maize officially coming from Zambia.”
Reports say that ordinary Zimbabweans are already struggling to access cheap maize. In Chitungwiza, the head of a family of six told a UN agency: “I remember that not so long ago, we used to buy a 10 kg bag of roller meal for $4.50. Now you can’t get it for below $6.00 As a basic necessity, maize meal should not be allowed to move that much because it is staple food for many people.”
The woman concerned said she would support the important of genetically modified (GM) maize if that would bring the price of maize meal down.
The price hikes have also affected poultry faming in Zimbabwe. Mungate said the poultry industry has become a major source of livelihood for the poor and for communal farmers. But 60 percent of the feed for poultry is derived from maize and the increasing maize cost had caused feed prices to climb between two to five percent. The livestock feed industry said it needs 40,000 tons of maize between February and the next harvest to meet demand.
Meantime, as the public, farmers and politicians meet head on the problem of looming food shortages, three academics who believe President Mugabe has done the right thing by effectively destroying commercial farming in Zimbabwe, will see their book “Zimbabwe Takes Back Its Land” launched (21 March) at the University of Zimbabwe. Attendance will be by invitation only and it is not yet clear if the local media will be given a chance to meet Joseph Hanlon, Teresa Smart and Jeanette Manjengwa.
The book will be the subject of debate in South Africa at the Centre for Conflict Reconciliation in Cape own on 25 March. The authors will then travel to Johannesburg for further discussions with academics and politicians at the Troyeville Hotel.
The book received it UK launch at Chatham House in St James’s Square in London in the presence of a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sir Malcolm Rifkind.
Post published in: News