Corn imports banned again

Zimbabwe has once again banned corn imports to support local farmers, reporting that this year the country has already grown enough to supply its milling factories following a bountiful harvest, reports 360Mozambique. According to a Reuters report, improved rainfall has boosted production and reversed the sharp decline seen last year, when an El Niño-induced drought forced the country to rely on imports, including genetically modified corn. ‘We assess the situation every day. We must protect domestic purchases from our local farmers,’ said Obert Jiri, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture. Zimbabwe, which consumes about 1.8m metric tons of corn annually, saw production fall to around 800 000 metric tons in 2023-24, down from 2.3m metric tons two years earlier. This crisis led the government to temporarily lift import restrictions to alleviate food shortages. The official noted that this year’s recovery, combined with state support programmes such as the Pfumvudza initiative for small farmers, has left the country with sufficient reserves. Jiri also highlighted that the current surplus represents a rare opportunity to strengthen food security and reduce dependence on imports. In 2020, Zimbabwe spent $300m in scarce foreign currency on corn imports, as successive droughts left more than half of the population in need of food aid.

Full 360Mozambique report