President Emmerson Mnangagwa says Zimbabwe is now food secure and won’t need to import anything until next year. The statements of the government contrast sharply with the assertions of relief organizations that millions of people face food insecurity.
For years, it has been known that Zimbabwe relied on foreign assistance organisations to provide food help, but the communications minister, Monica Mutsvangwa, claims that this is now changing.
The Grain Marketing Board (GMB), which purchases harvested commodities in Zimbabwe, received around 544,000 metric tons of food from farmers, including 467,000 kilogram tons of maize and 77,000 metric tons of traditional grains.
“At a consumption rate of 49,295 metric tons per month, the grain supply will last for 11 months. At a consumption rate of 21,000 metric tons per month, the 179,218 metric tons of wheat now in the GMB’s inventory will meet needs for 8.5 months.
Zimbabwe’s staple crops begin to be harvested in March 2023, whilst wheat is harvested in September and October. Sadza or isitshwala, a thick porridge topped in relish and consumed as a staple cuisine by many Zimbabweans, is made mostly from maize.
According to the United Nations World Food Program in Zimbabwe, certain rural regions are receiving grain imports from Zambia, a neighboring country, thanks to financing from USAID.
The data Macheka mentions were corroborated by the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee, or ZimVAC, which was just disclosed by the government. The government, however, is expressing hope and promoting food security in Zimbabwe.
“Cabinet would like to emphasize the areas planted for the principal crops in the following locations this year as compared to the same time last season: “Maize was planted on 465 707 hectares as opposed to 215 481 hectares; soybeans were planted on 7 578 hectares as opposed to 8 948 hectares; sorghum was planted on 59 481 hectares as opposed to 12 210 hectares; cotton was planted on 88 856 hectares as opposed to 13 166 hectares; and tobacco was planted on 75,758 hectares as opposed to the 64,155 hectares.
