Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has declared the drought currently ravaging the country a state of disaster and appealed for US$2 billion from aid agencies to avert hunger following what promises to be another poor harvest this year.
Mnangagwa said Wednesday that the country is projecting a cereal harvest of 868,000 metric tonnes this year against an annual requirement of around 1.5 million metric tonnes.
“Preliminary assessment shows that Zimbabwe requires in excess of US$2 billion toward various interventions we envisage in the spectrum of our national response,” he told journalists at State House.
Like its southern African neighbours, Zimbabwe has experienced a poor 2023/24 agricultural season, with most crops a complete write-off across the country as the El Nino-induced drought took a toll.
Zimbabwe’s appeal comes days after Malawi also approached aid agencies for US$70 million humanitarian assistance to avert hunger.
