Zimbabwe refuses to learn that drought may be the new 'normal' for farming

Zim government to discuss drought solutions

Eyewitness News | 2 Hours Ago

Zimbabwe’s cabinet is due to discuss what measures to take to mitigate the effects of a possible drought.

While heavy rains have been lashing South Africa, Zimbabwe is parched and crops are failing just north of Limpopo.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti told state media on Sunday that cabinet will have to sit to decide whether to budget for grain importation.

Zimbabwe is critically short of cash, and importing maize now will be a heavy burden.

Most of the country’s 10 provinces have had poor rains, and the staple maize crop is wilting in the fields.

The eastern Manicaland Province, the country’s most populous, is one of the worst affected. Most dry land crops there are a write-off.

Zimbabwe is also facing prolonged power cuts, which means that farmers with irrigation facilities can not switch them on.

Joseph Made, who is now the Minister of Agriculture and Mechanisation, said the country must do a crop assessment soon.

Time is running out however, and aid groups predict that food aid could be needed for more than 2 million people between now and March.