Zimbabwe suspends import tax on fertilizer as El Nino looms

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned that El Nino, a natural climate phenomenon in which surface waters of the central and eastern Pacific become unusually warm and cause changes in weather patterns around the world, could impact agriculture and food security in vulnerable countries during the 2023/24 farming season.

In Zimbabwe, fertilizer prices rose by about 30% over that period, with a 50 kilogram bag of basal fertilizer currently costing an average $45 and a bag of top dressing fertilizer about $60.

“With effect from the date of publication of this notice and up to a period of twelve months, duty is wholly suspended on

fertilizers imported by approved and regulated importers in terms of these regulations,” reads the notice dated Oct. 10.

The southern African country of 15 million people has struggled to feed itself over the past two decades since former president Robert Mugabe seized white-owned farms as part of a land redistribution programme, causing the output of one of Africa’s most prosperous agriculture sectors to collapse.

Production of the staple maize grain has improved in recent years, driven by government-funded inputs, but many households in the country still struggle with food insecurity and rely on aid.

In April, the government said Zimbabwe had produced 2.3 million tons of maize, just enough for human and livestock consumption.