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Africa: Southern
Food Agency Cuts Zimbabwe Rations and Warns of Shortages
2003-12-24
A shortfall of international aid has forced the World Food Program to halve the food ration for 2.6 million malnourished people in Zimbabwe, and aid officials say supplies for that country of some staples like cooking oil will completely run out early next month.
"Bob? You see that light at the end of the tunnel? That's a fire."
Spokesmen for the organization said the shortages could soon extend to five other southern African countries, where a combination of drought and insufficient donations threatens to worsen hunger problems when the harvest season begins early next year. In a news release on Monday, the food program said it had cut its basic ration of cornmeal in Zimbabwe from nearly 12 ounces a day to about 6, largely because emergency food stocks in Zimbabwe were running low and donations from outside were insufficient to replenish them. The remaining monthly rations — about a quart of cooking oil and two pounds of beans or peas — were continuing, an official said. But even those stocks are expected to run out altogether early next month. "Unfortunately January, February and March are the key hungry months before the harvest," Richard Lee, the program's Johannesburg information officer, said in a telephone interview. "Zimbabwe's situation is by far the worst." Michael Huggins, the agency's regional information director for southern Africa, said in an interview that the agency needed an increase in cash donations to be able to respond quickly to the imminent shortage in Zimbabwe, the former breadbasket of Africa.
"So pony up, boys! Kick in the cash you worked to earn to bail out Zim, where Bob's screwed up what he hasn't stolen. Do it for The Children™."
The United Nations-based program is trying to feed 6.5 million hungry people in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Lesotho and Swaziland. Four million recipients live in Zimbabwe, where large-scale agriculture has all but collapsed since President Robert Mugabe began seizing commercial farms from their white owners in 2000 in a plan to redress misdeeds committed under colonial rule.
Oh, that worked well, didn't it?
Because of earlier shortages, the World Food Program says, it had been able to feed only 2.6 million of those needy people in Zimbabwe. Their rations will now be cut to the newly announced level.
Tough for them, isn't it? Maybe they should go to more ZANU-PF rallies, where free lunches seem to still be in vogue.
Posted by:Fred Pruitt

#5  A modest proposal:
http://art-bin.com/art/omodest.html
Posted by: Brian   2003-12-24 4:29:49 PM  

#4  Looks like there'll be US beef on the export market, but doubtful Zimbobs could afford to buy much at any price ranchers will be able to sell. Not with Bob wasting investing, what, $4G foreign exchange into Internet Stalinist censorship security.
Posted by: Glenn (not Reynolds)   2003-12-24 9:03:42 AM  

#3  Food Agency Cuts Zimbabwe Rations and Warns of Shortages

Yes. That's what happens when... you cut back on the food rations!
Another double sawbuck on Zimbabwe please...
Posted by: tu3031   2003-12-24 8:55:33 AM  

#2  This is criminal. It's obscene to see the way that Zimbabwe has been raped by this man. Just a few grams of lead would have saved the situation too...

This URL gives a fairly recent assessment of the situation
http://www.justiceforagriculture.com/food.shtml

"As a representative of the agricultural sector and hence of the growers in what was known as the "food basket of Southern Africa", it is particularly frustrating to see Zimbabwe well past the brink of starvation."


Whereas this URL is more quantitative and shows what the situation was in 1997.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/w7050e/ctry/af971147.htm

"The 1997 cereal production is estimated at 2.7 million tons, compared to 3.1 million tons in 1996. The maize crop amounts to 2.2 million tons, 16 percent lower than last year’s good harvest but slightly above average. The output of millet and sorghum is estimated at about 220 000 tons, about the same as the above-average crop in 1996.

The national food supply situation is expected to remain satisfactory during the 1997/98 marketing year. Maize supply is expected to cover requirements, including the replenishment of stocks, and to leave an exportable surplus."

Compare and contrast with 2001 (the latest data available at this site)....
http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y2916e/Ctry/AF011247.htm

"As a result of the sharp decline in production and severe shortage of foreign exchange, the food supply situation is increasingly tight. The Grain Marketing Board has announced tenders to import 150 000 tonnes of maize. Prices of basic food staples, which had increased more than 300 percent from June to August, stabilized or declined after the Government ordered on 12 October price cuts of 5 to 20 percent for maize meal - the basic staple - and bread, meat, vegetables, milk, cooking oil and salt. However, many of the products were unavailable on the markets in the second half of the month. "
Posted by: Tony (UK)   2003-12-24 5:09:04 AM  

#1  This is the worst news. A growing season coming up and little hope for a harvest sufficient to feed the population, then cuts in aid.

Our little pool on the coming, inevitable Zimbabwe famine is be expiring early, maybe November?
Posted by: badanov   2003-12-24 1:38:00 AM  

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