Zimbabwe drought: UN warns food will run-out “by the end of February”

Around half of all citizens in Zimbabwe are facing another grim reality ahead of 2020. The United Nations (UN) have warned that their food reserves – which go towards feeding millions of people in the country – will be gone by next month.

The startling claim comes as experts shared a horrific forecast. Our neighbours to the north are facing another dry, unforgiving season that threatens everything on the production line, from livestock to crops. Planted seeds have failed to germinate, and this year’s maize is down 50% on last year’s haul.

UN confirm food supply to Zimbabwe ‘will run out soon’

Niels Balzer is the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Deputy Country Director. He has made it abundantly clear that Zimbabwe needs donations and pledges by the bucket-load (it’s estimated that about R3 billion is the desired total) to help stave-off the threat of drought and starvation. Around 200 000 metric tons of food is wanted to alleviate this crisis:

“As things stand, we will run out of food by end of February, coinciding with the peak of the hunger season – when needs are at their highest. Firm pledges are urgently needed as it can take up to three months for funding commitments to become food on people’s tables,”

“While WFP now has the staff, partners, trucking and logistics capacity in place for a major surge in Zimbabwe, it is essential that we receive the funding to be able to fully deliver. The lives of so many depend on this.”

UN forecast paints a bleak picture

According to the UN, the deepening hardship is forcing families to eat less, skip meals, take children out of school, sell off livestock and fall into a vicious cycle of debt. Stories of family members resorting to prostituion and sexual exploitation to survive have also been rife. The reports coming out of Zimbabwe are utterly devastating:

• Bread now costs 20 times more than what it did in July 2018.
• Maize prices have also tripled. This is due to rampant inflation and a lack of foreign currency flows in Zimbabwe.
• Around eight million Zimbabweans – or half the population – are officially “food insecure”.
• Due to logistical challenges, all emergency food supplies to Zimbabwe must come through South Africa or Mozambique. This could take months, and Balzer has stressed the need for officials to act urgently.

Furthermore, the country is also gripped by rolling blackouts. One of the main hydro-electric plants is too empty to function, reducing Zimbabwe’s generational capacity by a significant amount. It never rains, but it pours for Zimbabweans, who are facing yet another 21st-century disaster.