Zim fails to import maize from Malawi

THE Zimbabwe government, which has a huge maize deficit in the face of a massive hunger crisis, has failed to import 400 000 tonnes of maize from Malawi.

Well placed sources within the government confirmed that the country was struggling to raise the much needed foreign currency to pay for the consignment and seal the deal it had signed with Malawi .

The hunger problem will be further worsened with the expected low wheat production, the lowest in the past seven years.

Foreign currency shortages have hit the Zimbabwe government hard resulting in many of its projects going down the drain.

Grain Marketing Board acting chief executive officer Retired Colonel Samuel Muvuti confirmed in an interview with the Herald that Zimbabwe is negotiating with several countries in southern Africa to import maize to boost the national grain reserves as hunger continues to stalk in some regions.

He did not speak of the government's failure to pay for the Malawi consignment but said the government would intensify efforts to improve the reserves capacity. He did disclose the targetted countries targeted but said:

"We signed for a 400 000 tonnage supply of maize from Malawi but we are also targeting other countries within the region, especially those that are closer to us for a smooth delivery," Muvuti said.

He blamed logistical problems for the late delivery of the 400 000 tonnes of maize from Malawi but sources say the Malawians are still waiting for payments to be done.

"Negotiations for more contracts with other countries are critical as the country intensifies efforts to improve the reserves capacity,” said Muvuti.

Without disclosing the countries targeted, the GMB boss said negotiations were at an advanced stage.

Meanwhile aid agencies and some western governments are making frantic efforts to deliver the much-needed food aid, especially to the drought stricken Matabeland region which Zanu PF has allegedly been strongly trying to block as punishment for voting for the opposition MDC in past elections.

Muvuti on the other hand said Zimbabwe is currently relying on part of the maize it imported early this year.

Since 2000 when President Robert Mugabe launched his land reform exercise, viewed by many as a vote buying gimmick, the country has been facing year-on-year droughts.

An audit supplied by the Human Rights Forum has established that the land reform, which the government claimed was meant to benefit poor Zimbabweans, brought negative results as a reported 10 000 people are said to have died after they were removed from their form of livelihood.

Zimbabwe could again fail to produce enough food during the 2007/08 season unless adequate measures are put in place to address projected input shortages and clear the air over land tenure of newly resettled farmers.

Government ministers have recently expressed their concern over food shortages as the country was failing to improve the infrastructure needed in order to ensure required production levels.

The three ministries responsible for land reform, agriculture, and water and infrastructural development respectively, say the situation has to be brought to normalcy or else the current drought the country is facing might see more hardships for Zimbabwean population.

They were grilled by a parliamentary committee on the continued decline of Zimbabwe's agricultural production at a time when a lot of money was being pumped into the sector by the government.

Minister of Agriculture Joseph Made recently admitted that Zimbabwe could again face "serious fertilizer shortages" due to a breakdown at one of the country's major producers of the commodity.

Zimbabwe has over the years experienced shortages of fertilizer and other inputs due to a crippling foreign currency crisis.

The opposition MDC is, however, pessimistic that the current shortages the country is facing might once again see the ruling party Zanu PF enforcing its food for votes policy.

In some parts of the country ruling party youths are already reported to have started controlling food distribution outlets and at extreme points are confiscating food targeted for the sick giving it to Zanu PF supporters.