Japan has donated about 20 000 tonnes of maize towards Zimbabwe’s Food Deficit Mitigation Strategy (FDMS) to meet the essential food security needs of vulnerable households.
Zimbabwe for the past two years been facing severe starvation following El Nino-induced droughts and years of poor agricultural policies.
The Southern African country’s situation is, however, expected to get better at the end of the 2021 summer cropping season as it is expecting between 2.5 and 2.8 million tonnes which would be enough to feed all.
In June last year, Japan, through the World Food Programme (WFP), also donated 30 000 tonnes of maize to assist the vulnerable communities in Zimbabwe.
The Japanese Embassy, WFP, and the Government of Zimbabwe indicated in a joint statement Monday that WFP procured the maize from South Africa and delivered it directly to the Grain Marketing Board depots in Harare and Bulawayo.
Zimbabwe has been importing maize from neighboring countries and others like Brazil.
Observers say Zimbabwe has since the fast track land reform programme two decades ago has been failing to produce enough grain to meet the local demand let alone to export.
Zimbabwe used to be the breadbasket of the SADC region and would supply European markets.
While some blame corruption and the haphazard nature through which the land reform programme was implemented, the government blames climate change and sanctions on the country which resulted in “foreign funding being cut.”
More: The Herald