Zimbabwe appeals for food aid, irrigation upkeep financing after drought

The Zimbabwean government on Tuesday issued an urgent appeal for donation of more than 1.5 billion U.S. dollars to finance the import of emergency grains and rehabilitation of irrigation infrastructure.

Zimbabwe, with farming as a prime source of revenue, has been suffering a prolonged drought triggered by the El Nino effects. The drought is believed to be the worst drought in the country in 60 years.

As rainfall diminished, crops wilted and cattle starved, and farmers, who make up the 70 percent of Zimbabwe's population, faced serious challenges of survival.

The country's Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa told a fund-raising event in Harare, the national capital of Zimbabwe, that the government intended to import 1.4 million tonnes of grains throughout the year to feed the at least 3 million Zimbabweans affected by the drought. Part of the money raised will be used to fix the dilapidated irrigation systems.

The Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe last week declared a "state of disaster" in drought-hit agricultural regions, a move aimed at boosting the inflow of aid and reaching the targeted population efficiently. Endit