This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
On July 3, 2019, Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced that the country would need to import 800,000 tonnes of maize due to a drought that had reduced the harvest by more than half.
According to Mnangagwa, no one in the country would go hungry, as the government aims to ensure that everyone has access to food.
However, the maize imports will put pressure on Zimbabwe's meagre dollar reserves, which have been struggling to meet the country's basic needs, including fuel, medicines, bread, and electricity.
As a result, the government has banned farmers from selling maize to anyone other than the state Grain Market Board, in an effort to keep prices of the crop down.
Tanzania has already promised to sell up to 700,000 tonnes of maize to Zimbabwe, a move that Mnangagwa hopes will stimulate trade between the two nations.
It is estimated that up to 5 million Zimbabweans, a third of the population, would need food aid this year following the El Nino-induced drought, according to a United Nations agency.
