Lower harvest for Zambezi Valley

Zimbabwe's Zambezi Valley, with an estimated population of 258,000 people, faces a reduction of about 50 percent in output of maize and cotton in the current harvesting season due to flooding. Elliot Vhurumuku of the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) told IRIN on Wednesday that the cotton harvest, which is the main source of income for the area, is expected to be about 15,000 mt, down from last year's 21,000mt. He also said the maize harvest for the valley for this season stood at 8,964 mt, representing a decrease of 30 percent from last year and an 18 percent drop from the 1990s average. Vhurumuku said the valley, situated in the north of the country, is normally characterised by dry spells. He said the districts are the Lower Muzarabani and Guruve and the Upper Muzarabani and Guruve. "The grain availability differs between the two zones," Vhurumuku said. The Upper districts have abundant grain, while the Lower districts usually have little from their own production and never meet consumption requirements. However, grain production from both areas was below last year's harvest due to the effect of incessant rains, Vhurumuku added.