The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) has together with Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) and Zambia Railways Limited (ZRL) on Wednesday signed a joint agreement with the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) to transport 17000 tonnes of maize from Makambako and Vwawa in southern Tanzania to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe.
TAZARA will relay the grain to ZRL at New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia before it is passed to NRZ at Livingstone for final delivery into Zimbabwe.
A joint statement issued in Dar es Salaam indicated that the entire tonnage is expected to be transported within three months, starting from September 9, 2019.
The development comes when the country is facing severe starvation due to El Nino induced drought and Tropical Cyclone Idai which destroyed crops which were weeks away from harvest.
President Mnangagwa has since declared famine a national disaster saying that the country would need about 800 000 tonnes of maize to head off starvation.
More: Zim Live