Finance minister seeks budget to import food

Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Simba Makoni this week hinted at introducing supplementary budgets to meet the anticipated additional expenditure on food imports, farm inputs and allowances for civil servants, the ‘Financial Gazette’ reported on Thursday. Makoni told members of parliament and business leaders in Harare that the government was budgeting for some additional funds to finance anticipated maize and wheat imports, as well as civil service transport allowances and inputs for newly resettled farmers under the government’s controversial fast-track land reform plan.

Insisting that the treasury had enough funds to meet the additional expenditure, Makoni said he would seek Parliament’s approval in the next few days to raise the additional funds. “At the moment, my colleagues and I are saying the additional expenditure should be met from the existing envelope ... but I will be coming to you in the next few days to secure your pleasure on what those expenditures will be,” the minister said.

The move to seek supplementary budgets is an about-turn by Makoni who last year said he would not entertain any expenditure over-runs by government ministries. Last year there was a furore in Parliament when Makoni sought the permission of the legislators to raise millions of dollars to meet expenditure overruns by ministries. Zimbabwe needs to import over 600,000 mts of the staple maize and wheat before the next harvest expected in April 2002, although the government insists that the anticipated imports are much lower.