18 November 2008
FOOD shortages are set to worsen next year as most farmers will fail to plant this season due to a critical shortage of farming inputs attributed to poor planning by the government.
Agriculture experts warned that even if Zimbabwe receives normal rainfall this season another poor harvest cannot be avoided because of the acute shortage of seed, fertiliser and diesel for tillage as well as continued farm disruptions.
They said the season would be a "disaster" even if the seed and fertiliser were availed immediately.
Already in parts of Matabeleland, Manicaland and Masvingo people are surviving on wild fruits and edible tubers as hunger blamed on a succession of poor harvests takes its toll countrywide.
Most of them are surviving on treated seed left over from last season because of hunger. This is soaked in water to minimise the chemical effects of treated seed.
The government's Resource Mobilisation and Utilisation Committee, headed by Dr Mariyawanda Nzuwah that was hastily put together, is battling to cope with farmers' input needs.
The tractors, cultivators, generators and ploughs that were dished out under this programme lie idle as the farmers do not have fuel or livestock for draught power.
The few lucky farmers who are getting seed or fertiliser from the committee are selling it on the black market in foreign currency at inflated rates in order to raise money for food.
A 25kg of seed is selling for US$80 on the parallel market, an amount that is beyond the reach of ordinary Zimbabweans especially communal farmers.
MDC-Mutambara spokesman and former Grain Marketing Board (GMB) boss Renson Gasela said "disaster is looming" as Zimbabwe is far less prepared than it was for the 2007/8 season.
Gasela blames government for lack of foresight, which he said had seen the country running short of inputs at the onset of the rainy season.
"As a farmer you need diesel to prepare the land, you need seed, chemicals and fertiliser but all these are not there," said Gasela, a respected food security expert and farmer. "It's definitely a disaster."
Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) vice-president Gideon Theron has also painted a gloomy picture of preparations for this summer planting season. He said other than the shortage of inputs, continued farms invasions were set to exacerbate the projected poor harvest.
He said the few remaining white commercial farmers were failing to plant because they were being evicted from their properties or being dragged to the courts.
"This is a disaster in the making," Theron said. "We are very concerned because of the huge shortage of inputs coupled with the uncertainty on the farms."
"We will probably be very lucky if we achieve half of what we harvested last season."
Zimbabwe requires more than 1,8 million tonnes of grain for human consumption and an additional 400 000 tonnes for industrial use annually.
"With what is on the ground that figure will remain a dream for this country which ironically used to be the region's bread basket," he said.
The former GMB boss said only 25 000 tonnes of seed was available against a national requirement of 50 000 tonnes.
However, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fewsnet) said the country has 19% of the seed required to meet its planting requirements adding that even if it were to import the seed it would not reach the country in time for planting.
"Given the current economic turmoil, political instability and the necessity to direct resources to import and distribute food, improving access to inputs remains a challenge," said Fewsnet, a United States agency.
The government recently said companies and individuals can now import seed and fertiliser to augment local supplies. But farmers who tried to import seed face difficulties at the border.
"I had to phone Rugare (Gumbo, the Minister of Agriculture) for me to pass through the border with the seed," said Gasela. "Imagine if I did not know the minister personally."
"Information that people can freely import seed and fertiliser had not been relayed to officers at the border."
Gumbo could not be contacted for comment as his mobile phone was not reachable.
It is estimated that more than five million people will need food aid before the end of this year.
However, a recent warning by the World Food Programme (WFP) that it may be forced to cut food aid to Zimbabwe will not come as a good message to millions facing starvation.
"We will not be able to provide every beneficiary in November with a full food ration," a WFP spokesman said.
"We are being forced to cut the ration in Zimbabwe to people for whom this obviously couldn't come at a worse time."
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