Govt plans to import wheat to cover shortages

The Zimbabwean government plans to import wheat in May to meet national consumption requirements, according to a senior official. "We have produced about 133,000 mt of wheat, but it is not enough," said Didymus Mutasa, Minister of National Security, who chairs the National Taskforce on Food Security. "We will have to import to meet shortages, we will decide on the amount when we start planting in May." Millers have warned that the country has only a few weeks' supply left. Agricultural experts pointed out that Zimbabwe has an annual national wheat requirement of 420,000 mt, making an ample supply of wheat critical because bread played an important role in the national diet as a substitute for the staple maize-meal porridge. Mutasa said there was no crisis and the country was "coping quite well - despite the four years of drought and sanctions imposed on us by European countries, we have gone through our most difficult period yet". The country has experienced food shortages over the last four years, mainly due to erratic weather conditions, the impact of the chaotic fast-track land reform programme on the agricultural sector and a lack of foreign currency to import inputs, such as fuel and fertiliser. The Millers Association of Zimbabwe reportedly said a shortage of grain would force bakers to import flour from South Africa, which could lead to further increases in bread prices. With inflation at a record 782 percent, a loaf of bread currently costs 70 US cents, putting it beyond the reach of most Zimbabweans, who earn average monthly salaries of less than $100. Agricultural analysts noted that Zimbabwe would also face a maize shortfall of between 500,000 mt and 600,000 mt. Only an estimated 600,000 mt of maize was harvested last year, compared to a national requirement of 1.8 million mt. Mutasa said the country had imported 181,000 mt of maize in 2005.