FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops & Shortages 09/01 - ZIMBABWE* (10 September)
Renewed violence on commercial farms was experienced in the past month as land seizures stepped up, resulting in further abandonment of farms and loss of jobs by farm workers. It is estimated that, by early September, about 70 000 farm workers and owners have been forced to leave the farms due to the farm occupations, and the number is still increasing. However, hopes of normalization of the situation have risen following a recent Commonwealth-sponsored meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, at which the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe reached an agreement over land reform. According to the deal, the United Kingdom has promised funding for a land resettlement programme in return for an end to illegal land occupations and restoration of the rule of law.
The 2001 maize crop, accounting for over 90 percent of the total cereal production, was sharply reduced. An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission in May estimated maize production at 1.5 million tonnes, 28 below last year�s level and well below average. This decrease mainly reflects a decline of 54 percent in the area planted on the large-scale commercial farms, due to disruption by land acquisitions activities. In the communal farms, plantings were affected by payment delays by the Grain Marketing Board, while yields were reduced by a severe mid-season dry spell followed by excessive rains, particularly in southern areas.
The outlook for the 2001 wheat crop, to be harvested from October, is uncertain. The area planted is estimated at 52 000 hectares, 14 percent higher than last year, and production is forecast at 275 000 tonnes, 8 percent above the 2000 crop. However, renewed hostilities on the commercial farms, which account for the total wheat production, could disrupt agricultural activities and adversely affect the final outturn.
Prices of basic food staples, such as bread, cooking oil, milk, sugar, cereals, vegetables and beef, have increased by between 20 percent and 70 percent in the past month and more than 300 percent since June. Maize meal prices increased by 10 percent in August in urban areas, but in some rural areas the price of maize is reported to have more than doubled. This reflects the reduced cereal harvest, a 70 percent fuel price rise, shortages of foreign exchange to import and, in general, the economic crisis facing the country.
The Government has banned private grain sales from midJuly, requiring all stocks to be sold to the Grain Marketing Board. In order to accelerate deliveries, it has also recently increased the procurement price of maize by 13 percent. It has also announced that the country will import 100 000 tonnes of maize from neighbouring South Africa but budgetary constraints limit all food imports. While currently there are no national shortages of maize, they could occur later in the marketing year (April/March) if imports do not materialize. However, food difficulties are already being experienced in some areas where farmers gathered a poor harvest. Localized food shortages are reported in parts of the Midlands and Matabelenland South provinces, with Bulilimamangwe district near the Botswana border being one of the worst affected. The situation of farm workers who lost their jobs due to farms invasions or land acquisitions, and that of increasing numbers of vulnerable people in urban areas gives cause for serious concern.