Food insecurity rises
THE government has shifted its cereal rations for vulnerable households to 10kg per person from 50kg per household, amid increased food insecurity in the country, the United States Agency for International Development (USAid) has said.
This has become a continuing trend where the government has failed to increase its social spending towards vulnerable groups despite high unemployment.
According to USAid’s food security arm, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fewsnet) December 2021 report, despite above normal harvests in 202021, planned humanitarian assistance is below that received in recent years.
“The government has shifted from a typical ration of 50kg of cereal per household per month to 10kg per person per month. WFP and partners planned to reach nearly 542 000 beneficiaries in December across 12 rural districts with cereal, pulses, and vegetable oil, increasing to 650 000 beneficiaries between January and March 2022. Other donors are targeting about 90 000 beneficiaries in selected districts,” Fewsnet said.
“Following above normal harvests in 2020-21, planned humanitarian assistance is below that received in recent years across most parts of the country, both in terms of targeted rural areas and beneficiaries. Government plans were to reach 937 000 beneficiaries in December and 1,2 million beneficiaries between January and March 2022,” Fewsnet added.
The food security arm noted that most households in deficit-producing areas had depleted their own-produced food stocks and were relying on markets and other sources of food.
Further, access to markets was poor due to high food prices and below normal income among most poor households given general macroeconomic conditions and ongoing Covid-19-related restrictions.
“The delayed start of the 202122 agricultural season further reduced poor household income as casual labour opportunities and rates of wages and informal payments were below anticipated levels. In addition, poor livestock conditions and vegetable production from the prolonged dryness are also negatively affecting sales and income,” Fewsnet noted.
As a result, poor rural households are experiencing deterioration in food security with additional districts experiencing Stressed (Integrated Phase Classification or IPC Phase 2) or, increasingly, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) outcomes.
Most surplus-producing areas are still experiencing Minimal (IPC Phase 1) outcomes or Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes as ownproduced food stocks generally remain available at household level.
The use of the IPC in the fight against food insecurity comes as widely accepted by the international community as it describes the severity of food emergencies.
The IPC is based on common standards and language, this fivephase scale is intended to help governments and other humanitarian actors quickly understand a crisis (or potential crisis) and take action.
Also exacerbating food security matters further in Zimbabwe are increases in the prices of basic foods and commodities triggered by the volatile exchange rate.
The parallel market exchange rates hovered between ZW$180 and ZW$200 against the US dollar, which was at least 65% above official rates.
The food poverty line – the amount required to meet minimum food needs of 2 100 calories per person per day – increased by 6,2% to ZW$5 760 per person per month in December.
The total consumption poverty line, which includes the cost of minimum basic food and nonfood needs, increased by 6% to ZW$8 000 per person per month.
Fuel prices in ZWL increased by at least 10% in December 2021, putting additional pressure on other food and commodity prices.
“These increases are eroding household purchasing power and rendering more poor rural and urban households unable to meet their basic food and non-food needs.”
In December, monthly inflation remained stable at 5,8%, while a marginal increase in annual inflation was recorded, at 60,7% in December from 58,4% in November 2021.
Fewsnet noted that the government had increased the 2021-22 producer prices for maize, small grains, and soya beans – which are determined and set pre-planting – by 83%, 85%, and 162%, respectively, above the prices at the end of the 2020-21 marketing season. The increases were attributed to inflation caused by the continued fall of the Zimbabwe dollar.