Cabinet Reports Over 50% of Zimbabweans Require Food Aid

Zimbabwe’s cabinet has announced that more than half of the nation’s approximately 15 million people will require immediate food assistance until March next year, following the devastating effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon.

The situation has already led to a national state of disaster being declared.

Information Minister Jenfan Muswere revealed at a post-cabinet briefing in Harare that a total of 7.7 million individuals, constituting 51% of the population, will need food aid. Additionally, an extra 4.5 million people are expected to require school meals.

The rural areas of the southern African nation are the hardest hit, with 6 million individuals needing food assistance until the first quarter of next year. A report from the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee indicates that 1.7 million people in urban areas also require food aid.

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Furthermore, the Agriculture Ministry has increased its estimate of the damage to Zimbabwe’s corn output this season to 77%, up from the previous estimate of 72%. The country’s corn production is projected at 744,271 metric tonnes annually. Zimbabwe consumes 2.2 million tons of corn each year, with 1.8 million tons allocated for food and 400,000 tons for livestock feed.

In response to the crisis, the government is intensifying efforts to prevent hunger-related deaths. Zimbabwean grain millers are planning to import approximately 1.4 million tons of corn from Latin American nations, including Brazil, by July to address the shortfall.

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The El Niño weather phenomenon has caused a dry spell across southern Africa, resulting in a significant reduction in South Africa’s corn crop and prompting countries like Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to declare states of national disaster due to crop failures. Last week, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs issued an appeal for $429 million to assist Zimbabwe, in addition to a previous request for $228 million for Zambia.

Muswere highlighted that while the entire southern African region felt the impact of the El Niño season, Zimbabwe appeared to be at the epicenter of this phenomenon.