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Zimbabwe declares state of disaster for agriculture due to drought

Xinhua, February 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe declared Friday a state of disaster for the 2015-2016 agricultural season after an El Nino-induced drought left crops wilting, more than 16,000 domestic animals dead and vast tracts of land wasted across the country.

The declaration seeks to ensure that urgent priority will be given to the mobilization of relief supplies to alleviate the suffering of the most affected areas, according to a statement published by the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing.

Late planted crops have generally not performed well though rains have recently swept across most parts of the country. What's worse, many farmers have opened up their fields for their livestock to graze the crops.

In some areas, farmers did not plant crops because of unfavorable weather.

That leads to more than 95 percent of the farmers to have received less than 75 percent of what they should have harvested so far, according to the statement.

Generally, the cropping season starts late in Zimbabwe. The country's rainy season generally lasts from November to March, with a prolonged dry spell in January. Yet this year, some parts of the country have not received adequate rainfall for planting.

Zimbabwe, among those in the region hit hard by El Nino, has recently received modest rains, bringing replenished water points and renewed pastures. This has sent hopes to farmers who want their cattle, sheep, donkeys and goats to survive the drought.

Many farmers were forced to sell their livestock at giveaway prices, with cattle sometimes sold for less than 50 U.S. dollars per head, no more than one third of the general price.

The Zimbabwean economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, which generates 30 percent of export earnings and contributes 19 percent to the country's GDP. About 70 percent of the population still survive on farming and related industries.

The Zimbabwe National Farmers' Union said that even those on irrigated land have found planting tough because reservoirs suffered evaporation due to the high temperatures.

The union's agriculture economist Prince Kuipa urged the government to invest in modern irrigation equipment that uses less water, adding that farmers should also adopt practices to conserve water, including mulching, minimum tillage and pot holing.

More assistance will be sought from private sectors, the country's development partners and nongovernmental organizations.

The Zimbabwean government last year appealed to its development partners and other stakeholders for at least 300 million dollars to procure food supplements following the poor 2014-2015 agricultural season.

The country needs 1.4 million tons of maize for consumption every year. The government in January spent 260 million dollars to import 500,000 to 700,000 tons of maize to avert hunger and boost the country's strategic grain reserve. Endi