Zimbabwe finally declares the drought a disaster

Last month, the WFP and other humanitarian organisations in Harare, and the European Union, told ANA they were concerned that Zimbabwe was “slow” in declaring a disaster, unlike countries like Malawi, which acknowledged the situation early in the year.

Local government minister Saviour Kasukuwere made the declaration of disaster in Harare on Thursday in terms of the Civil Protection Act from February 2, because he said Zimbabwe had little rain during the current summer season.

He said 95 percent of Zimbabwe received less then 75 percent of normal rain and in some areas three quarters of the maize crop was a write off. He said a third of boreholes in many districts were now dry, and thousands of cattle had died.

“Overall the food insecure population has risen to 2 444 000, or 26 percent of the population.”

Others in the food security sector say they expect the numbers in need of emergency food aid will rise to more then three million.

Zimbabwe only needed to import donor funded food aid post 2000 after agriculture was gravely disturbed by the Fast Track Land Resettlement Programme began and most white farmers were evicted. Zimbabwe’s economy, including its local currency, the Zimbabwe dollar collapsed after Zimbabwe’s agricultural exports almost stopped as so few crops were grown.

In the last major drought of 1992, Zimbabwe was able to feed its own population following massive crop failure that year after a devastating drought.

Until 2000 the WFP did not even have an office in Zimbabwe, as Harare always had enough maize for its population and cattle feed, stored in major grain silos around the country. Those silos have been virtually empty for the last 15 years according to grain merchants.

Last month, an executive of a major western non governmental organisation said in Harare: “We are ready and waiting for Zimbabwe to acknowledge there is a very serious food problem in Zimbabwe in the next few months, and it is going to go on until the next harvest in 2017.

“There are limited donor funds and Zimbabwe is being slow in declaring an emergency.”

The US’s Famine Early Warning Systen Network, FEWSNET, has been warning about the drought for months and the rising cost of staple food, maize in southern Africa.

Zambia which previously sold maize to Zimbabwe in recent years says it will not be prepared to export this year because of fears about its own maize crop.

WFP in Harare said it has already started distributing food in southern Zimbabwe. - ANA