FAO/GIEWS - Foodcrops and Shortages 06/02 - ZIMBABWE (4 June)
An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission visited the country from 21 April to 10 May 2002 and estimated cereal production at about 0.67 million tonnes, 57 percent down from last year’s poor harvest and 69 percent down from production in 1999/00. The production of maize, the main staple, was estimated at 0.48 million tonnes, down by 67 percent on last year and by 77 percent on 1999/00. The major cause was a severe prolonged drought between January and March, which wiped out crops in most parts of the country, coupled with land reform activities which disrupted agricultural production on large-scale commercial farms. Cereal import requirements for the marketing year 2002/03 are estimated at a staggering 1.869 million tonnes, of which maize accounts for 1.705 million tonnes or 91 percent. Taking into account an anticipated commercial cereal import of 312 000 tonnes and 60 000 tonnes of food aid pledges, the total uncovered cereal deficit for the year is 1.497 million tonnes with the maize deficit amounting to 1.345 million tonnes.
Zimbabwe is facing a serious food crisis, and unless international food assistance is provided urgently and adequately, there will be a serious famine and loss of life in the coming months. Approximately 6.074 million people were estimated to have insufficient production, income and other entitlements to be able to meet their minimum food requirements throughout the coming year. Emergency food assistance in the amount of 705 000 tonnes of cereals, in addition to other supplementary food items, is needed to support their minimum cereal consumption requirements. Millions of people who have the resources to purchase their cereal staple food are increasingly unable to do so because grain is not widely available in the markets, or is selling at very high prices. Emergency provision of agricultural inputs was also recommended to enable drought-affected farming families to restart agricultural production during the next main planting season starting in October 2002.