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Africa Subsaharan

Zimbabwe imports 30,400 tonnes of wheat to ease shortage

2006-10-03

Zimbabwe has imported 30,400 tonnes of wheat worth $10.6 million to ease bread shortage in the crisis-hit country, the official Herald newspaper reported on Wednesday. Wheat is the countrys second staple crop after maize and Zimbabwe has over the years failed to satisfy its annual wheat consumption of between 400,000 and 450,00 tonnes.

It used to be the Breadbasket of Africa, a major agricultural exporter.

Earlier this year, Zimbabwe said that it had missed its target to raise wheat output to a record 500,000 tonnes and now expected a harvest of 218,046 tonnes this year after farmers reduced plantings due to shortages of machinery, fuel and fertiliser. On Wednesday, Zimbabwes Herald newspaper quoted central Bank governor Gideon Gono as saying that the Reserve Bank had given bakers $10.6 million to import wheat without saying from where to ease the current bread shortage. Zimbabwe has imported 30,400 tonnes... enough to last 68 days until November when the country starts harvesting its winter crop, it said.

Posted by:Fred

#7 'bout time, boss. I wuz bout ta start diggin

Posted by: Farmin B. Hard 2006-10-03 16:11

#6 http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=167095&D=2006-09-28&HC=3

Posted by: rhodesiafever 2006-10-03 15:42

#5 Glenmore, the local currency for food on the table, and a mountain bike for the kid:

http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=167095&D=2006-09-28&HC=3

Posted by: rhodesiafever 2006-10-03 13:07

#4 Man can't live on chocolate alone - he needs a little peanut butter in the middle.

Posted by: Glenmore 2006-10-03 08:46

#3 They want an all "chocolate" Zim Glenmore. It's an Afri thing, we wouldn't understand.

Posted by: Besoeker 2006-10-03 08:38

#2 What did they have to pay for (trade for) that wheat? Maybe they could sell some of that underutilized farmland to some white overseas investors? Nah, that might actually solve the hunger problem.

Posted by: Glenmore 2006-10-03 07:55

#1 The Zimbabwean parliament has approved a controversial new ~~affirmative action~~ law that will facilitate the jailing of farmers who remain on their land after they have been ordered to leave.

The new Land (Consequential Provisions) Bill makes it an offence to remain on farmland without authority and offenders would be sentenced to seven days' jail before being forcibly evicted by the state.

It requires all farmers whose land has been earmarked for seizure to pave the way for new black farmers.

The law validates all offer letters issued so far to new farmers and nullifies any legal challenges to these letters by white farmers. Lands Reform Minister Didymus Mutasa said the law would deal decisively with the continued occupation of gazetted land by white farmers.

Mutasa said his ministry was having problems with evicting white farmers who continued to utilise their land after the prescribed 90 days' notice had expired.

This, he said, made it difficult for new black farmers to move on to the acquired farm. "The bill also addresses the issue of unlawful fresh farm occupations," Mutasa said.

The law repeals an earlier one which protected black farm invaders against eviction by white farmers. Since most of the white farmers have been evicted, Mutasa said there was a need to protect the new black landowners from illegal occupations by other blacks.

The Commercial Farmers Union says fewer than 300 white farmers remain on their land after the eviction of most of the 4 500 farmers. Mutasa has previously said his ultimate aim would be to "shove off" all white farmers from Zimbabwe.

This article was originally published on page 8 of Cape Times on September 22, 2006

http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=68&art_id=vn20060922023907862C356573&set_id=

Posted by: Besoeker 2006-10-03 07:43

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