Scarce, expensive agri-inputs threaten food security

A shortage of inputs and inflation is hurting prospects for an agricultural recovery in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Farmer's Union (ZFU) told IRIN on Thursday. The country is once again badly affected by food insecurity as a result of erratic weather, the effect of the government's fast-track land reform on commercial agriculture and the impact of HIV/AIDS. Aid agencies estimate some five million Zimbabweans will require food aid by January 2004. Tafireyi Chamboko, the chief economist of the ZFU said that "if farmers are provided inputs on time, if farmers get the necessary inputs support - given that the forecast is for normal to above normal rainfall this season - there should be an agricultural recovery". However, there were significant obstacles to this. "There's a shortage of some of the inputs. In terms of maize seed, we'll probably get about 50 percent of the requirement from local [seed] production," Chamboko said. While the government had been supplying inputs to new farmers through an inputs credit scheme, "there are not enough inputs to meet the requirements". "It is a major constraint. We normally would prefer that inputs are in by, [at] the latest, mid-September, because our [growing] season begins about then. If we can get inputs, at the latest [by] mid-September, we would be able to plant ahead of the first rains," Chamboko added. But, "of course sometimes it does not happen that way. Inputs are critical in the beginning of the season, if they are given late it's not very helpful". "Fertiliser is in short supply and it's also quite expensive, given our inflationary environment. The major factor impacting on farmers is the price of inputs - our inflation rate is now at 364.5 percent - so we have a question of shortages, compounded by the fact that companies that produce fertilisers are faced with a shortage of foreign currency to buy the raw materials they need," Chamboko explained. "You can see the circle there - one thing affects the availability of another. Foreign currency shortage leads to the prices of what little is available on the local market, skyrocketing," he added.