Zimbabwe’s maize output from the 2023/24 summer cropping season will drop by almost three-quarters this year as the nation experiences its worst drought in 40 years.
According to the Government’s Second Round of Crops, Livestock and Fisheries Assessment report, maize output from the current season that ends 31 May 2024 is estimated at 634,699 tonnes, down 72% from last year.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, had previously forecasted 868 237 tonnes.
According to the report, of 60 rural districts, only Goromonzi and Makonde have grown enough food for 12 months. Reads the report:
Statistically, the season had the latest and driest start to a summer season in 40 years.
Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Zambia have all declared states of national disaster because of crop failures caused by a severe drought attributed to the El Niño weather phenomenon.
The prolonged dry spell in southern Africa also slashed South Africa’s maize crop by at least a fifth.
Zimbabwe consumes 2.2 million tonnes of maize annually, with 1.8 million tonnes used for food and 400,000 tonnes used for livestock feed.
The Grain Millers Association recently announced plans to import at least 1.4 million tonnes of maize by July to address the shortfall.
