Maize makes its way to Zimbabwe

The South African Grain Information Service's weekly import/export charts indicate that between 2,000 and 6,000 mt of maize was being exported to Zimbabwe every week from April until the first week of July, a total of almost 40,000 mt. Over the same period, about 23,600 mt of maize from the United States, as well as 19 mt from Argentina, also made its way through South Africa to Zimbabwe, according to the import/export figures. Grain SA, the South African grain growers' association, said the export figures included food aid donations to Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwean government has forecast a bumper maize harvest of over two million mt since the beginning of this year, but other analysts have consistently warned the crop was likely to be well below national demand. Zimbabwe's Grain Marketing Board last week said it had received about 119,000 mt of maize from local farmers since the beginning of the marketing season in April. The country needs at least 100,000 mt of maize every month to feed its people. Zambia's Food Reserve Agency (FRA) told IRIN last month that it had received export queries from Zimbabwe, but Charles Chabala, FRA's director of operations, said on Wednesday no maize had been exported, although a trade mission was expected to visit Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee calculated earlier this year that 2.3 million people in rural areas would require food assistance in the 2004/05 marketing season. A similar number of urban poor are likely to be in need of aid. A food relief agency official said, "The importation of almost 40,000 mt of maize is only the beginning - we expect the amount of grain imported by Zimbabwe to increase by the end of this year."