Zimbabwe’s food shortfall remains despite better yield estimates

While summer crop production in Zimbabwe is expected to improve significantly in the 2019/2020 season, volumes harvested are anticipated to be well below the country’s domestic requirements for the year. Since the implementation of a controversial land reform programme in the early 2000s, coupled with often adverse weather conditions, Zimbabwe’s agricultural production has taken a major knock to put the country in a highly food insecure position.

The Second Round Crop and Livestock Assessment Report: 2019/2020 Season, compiled by Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, revealed that the country’s human requirement for grain crops for the year were expected to be almost

1,8 million tons and the livestock requirement about 450 000t.

However, the report added that during the 2019/2020 season, Zimbabwe’s farmers were expected to produce about 907 630t of maize and just over 152 500t of small grains. This left a total deficit of over 1,16 million tons for the country’s projected grain needs for this year.

The report also showed that while Zimbabwe remained in a food deficit position, there was a significant improvement between the country’s 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 production of most staple food crops. Estimates for 2019/2020 production were 907 628t of maize (2018/2019: 776 635t); 103 684t of sorghum (2018/2019: 40 215t); 39 032t of pearl millet (2018/2019: 28 047t); 9 799t of finger millet (2018/2019: 6 947t); 87 479t of groundnuts (2018/2019: 70 902t); 114 558t of sweet potato (2018/1019: 88 248t); 12 650t of sugar beans (2018/2019: 9 528t); and 18 430t of cowpeas (2018/2019: 12 655t). However, the 23 832t estimate for round nuts was 19% down on the

29 396t produced in 2018/2019.

Agbiz chief economist, Wandile Sihlobo, reported earlier in the year that Zimbabwe’s 2020 decision to overturn its years-long ban on imports of genetically modified (GM) maize was likely prompted by the country’s inability to source sufficient imports of non-GM maize to meet national demand.

“Fortunately for Zimbabwean consumers, neighbouring South Africa and other major maizeproducing countries are expected to remain maize exporters in the 2020/2021 marketing year. Imports from such countries will help ease pressure on Zimbabwe. In the long run, however, the Zimbabwean authorities should consider legalising the growing of GM maize in order for domestic farmers to produce higher yields,” Sihlobo said. – Lloyd Phillips

agricultural production took a major knock

merits of the case they are taking on, as there are consequences now for litigating frivolously.

“Too many attorneys acting for the state have simply pushed land claims cases forward even though there were no merits,” McCarthy said.

state to pay legal costs

He pointed out that “unfortunately”, landowners who had successfully defended against land claims prior to these judgments would be unable to retrospectively apply for costs orders against the state or its lawyers.

“Judge Meer had considered awarding costs de bonis propriis [but] applied the lesser sanction of [ordering the claimants’ lawyers to repay] their [legal] fees [to the state]. Had she applied the sanction of costs de bonis propriis, they would have had to pay the landowners’ costs from their own pockets. The current order is that the state will have to pay the landowners’ legal costs.”