A government-owned newspaper says Zimbabwe plans to import up to 700,000 tonnes (28 million bushels) of corn this year to offset crops lost to drought caused by El Niño, said Reuters. Agriculture Minister Joseph Made told the Herald that rainfall in November and December was less than three-fourths of the amount needed in the first two months of the farming season. He was quoted as saying the government would allocate $250 million to import 500,000 to 700,000 tonnes of corn. Seventy percent of Zimbabwe’s population are farmers. “Made said the number of people in need of food aid was rising in the western and southern parts of the country,” said Reuters.
The Famine Early Warning System, funded by the United States, lists southern Africa as one of its areas of concern. Seasonal dryness worsened in the region in December. “This could mark a second consecutive poor production year for many areas,” it said.