Zimbabwe to import staple maize as production declines by 49 pct

Zimbabwe will need to import over 700, 000 tonnes of maize to ensure food security for a one-year period, as its maize production for 2015 declined by 49 percent compared with the previous year and, the agriculture minister said on Thursday.

Joseph Made told a parliamentary committee that the country will import the maize from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region where some countries recorded maize surplus.

"If we have resources we will be able to source the bulk of the grain within the region," he said.

Out of the 1.5 million hectares planted with maize in 2015, 300, 000 hectares were declared a write-off due to a mid-season dry spell.

He said the drought also affected production of small grains such as finger millet and sorghum which declined by 59 percent and 71 percent respectively.

Zimbabwe in 2014 produced 1.456 million tonnes of maize, 82 percent more than that in 2013.

The country requires 1.8 million tonnes of maize for consumption annually while the country currently holds 150,000 tonnes in reserve.

The minister also announced the government would soon launch 100 million U.S. dollars mechanization and irrigation development program to equip small holder farmers with agricultural machinery and develop irrigation systems to boost food production in the wake of the changeable weather patterns.

The 100 million dollar loan was acquired from Brazil, with the minister saying the country was also set to get a 60 million dollar loan from India and a 100 million dollar loan from South Korea to equip medium-sized farmers with machinery and irrigation facilities. Endi