Zimbabwe has reinstated a ban on maize imports to support local farmers after producing enough grain this year to meet domestic milling needs, a senior agriculture ministry official said on Monday.
The country’s output recovered following improved rainfall, reversing last year’s sharp decline when an El Nino-induced drought forced heavy reliance on imports, including genetically modified maize.
“We assess the situation every day. We must protect local purchases from our local farmers,” said Obert Jiri, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, in an interview with Reuters.
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Zimbabwe consumes roughly 1.8 million metric tons of maize annually but saw production fall to about 800,000 metric tons in the 2023/24 season, down from 2.3 million metric tons two years earlier.
That shortfall led the government to temporarily lift its import restrictions to prevent food shortages.
According to Jiri, this year’s recovery, aided by state initiatives such as the Pfumvudza smallholder programme, has restored stock levels.
However, independent analyst Paul Chidziva cautioned that the country’s agricultural sector, which employs about 70% of the population, remains highly vulnerable to droughts and other extreme weather events worsened by climate change.
To improve resilience, the government is encouraging the planting of drought-tolerant crops such as sorghum and millet.
Jiri said the current surplus offers a rare chance to strengthen food security and reduce import dependence.
Zimbabwe spent $300 million in scarce foreign currency on maize imports in 2020 after back-to-back droughts left more than half the population needing food aid.
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Image Credit: The Citizen
