The government had an effective response to the ongoing devastating El Nino-induced drought, Zimbabwe's worst in four decades, Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka has said.
Speaking during the National Thanksgiving and Dedication Service in Bulawayo Sunday, Masuka said there were no queues or rising food prices as had been experienced in other drought years.
"The El Nino drought has been the worst in 43 years since 1980. We could go and queue for groceries without even knowing what was being sold there.
"This has been the worst drought since independence and this is the most normal drought, no queues, no escalation in food prices, mealie meal is available and this does not just happen.
"This is leadership and that is the leadership of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Just to put that into context, the President is currently directly feeding 12.47 million people, 83% of Zimbabweans are dependent directly on what the President is doing," he said.
However, food prices have been rising since the introduction of a new currency, the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) in April this year. The currency has devalued, now trading at $1:ZWG40 to 60 on the black market.
Most rural areas in Zimbabwe have been experiencing severe hunger and relying on food aid from humanitarian organizations such as the World Food Program, USAID, and Care International.
