News24
18 Aug 2019, 23:43 GMT+10
Hardships due to Zimbabwe's poor maize harvest are exacerbated by unstable economic conditions in the country, according to Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz).
Zimbabwe's maize harvest is currently estimated at 800 000 tonnes, down by 53% from the previous year, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture.
The World Food Programme estimates that more than one-third of Zimbabwe's rural population - about 3.6 million people - will face food insecurity by October 2019. By January 2020, the figure is expected to increase to 5.5 million.
"Zimbabwe's maize prospects - its staple crop - are not in good shape because of a drought which delayed plantings at the start of the 2018/19 production season. And when it finally rained, it became rather excessive, as was witnessed during Cyclone Idai at the start of the year," Sihlobo explains in the latest Agbiz newsletter.
He adds that droughts or floods always have a devastating impact on agriculture. However, in economically unstable countries - like Zimbabwe - the impact of an event like a drought usually continues for months after the end of the period of extreme weather conditions.
ANALYSIS: Zimbabwe at 'tipping point' with 'wheels coming off'
"Had Zimbabwe been an economically stable country - with efficient markets, policy and infrastructure - the effects of lower agricultural output would have been buffered by imports and government assistance to a certain extent," says Sihlobo.
"But this is not the case in Zimbabwe. The economy, political environment and state resources remain fragile. The maize markets cannot function efficiently."
According to Sihlobo, it is estimated that Zimbabwe still needs to import about a million tonnes of maize in order to fulfil its annual needs.
In his view, South Africa, Zambia and Mexico could be the potential suppliers of white maize to Zimbabwe.
"Aside from white maize, there are a number of countries that can potentially supply yellow maize to Zimbabwe, with the most likely ones being Brazil, Argentina, Ukraine and the US," concludes Sihlobo.
Get a daily dose of Illinois Intelligencer news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Illinois Intelligencer.
More InformationOTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
(250710) -- ARLINGTON, July 10, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Anastasia Cekulaev of Germany celebrates scoring during the Pool 8 match between Germany...
Washington, DC [US], July 10 (ANI): US President Donald Trump announced a 50 per cent tariff on imports from Brazil, starting August...
Trump says U.S. shifting Africa policy from aid to trade U.S. President Donald Trump met with leaders from five African nations on...
Washington, DC [US], July 10 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a fresh round of tariffs on imports from seven...
EU officials have said the bloc seeks a trade deal framework with the United States, but keeps retaliation option open. BRUSSELS,...
SLUBICE, Poland: Poland reinstated border controls with Germany and Lithuania on July 7, following Germany's earlier reintroduction...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: After months of warnings from former federal officials and weather experts, the deadly flash floods that struck the...
MOSCOW, Russia: Just hours after his sudden dismissal by President Vladimir Putin, Russia's former transport minister, Roman Starovoit,...
DHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...