Staple food prices are expected to go down in several countries in southern Africa including Zimbabwe as a result of above-average yields from the 2020/21 summer cropping season.
This was revealed in an update by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET) for May. The report read in part:
Regional staple supplies are expected to above-average across much of Southern Africa. Average to above-average production in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, and South Africa will likely drive the decline in staple food prices with prices likely to be lower than in 2020 across the region.
In Malawi, March maize grain prices were up to 50 per cent below last year and up to 30 per cent below the five-year average.
Similar trends are observed in non-conflict affected areas of Mozambique, where maize grain prices decreased by 11 to 46 per cent lower than their respective 2020 prices.
This is expected to improve household access to staple foods on the market.
Zimbabwe is expected to harvest 2.7 million tonnes of maize during, the highest yield in 20 years, the Second Round Crop and Livestock Assessment report shows.
Traditional grains production is estimated at 347 968 tonnes, which is an increase of 128 per cent compared to the 152 515 tonnes produced by farmers in the 2019/2020 season.