President Mnangagwa declares Zim food secure, as 5.7m face hunger

President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa says Zimbabwe is food secure, adding that the country will export grain.

Speaking at a food summit in Dakar, Senegal, President Mnangagwa claimed that Zimbabwe is wheat sufficient.

However, the World Food Programme’s current estimates say 38% of Zimbabweans, about 5.7 million people, are food insecure.

Zimbabwe is a landlocked, low-income, food deficit country in Southern Africa. In 2020, more than 7.7 million people – half the population – will faced food insecurity at the peak of the lean season, as poor rains and erratic weather patterns have a negative impact on crop harvests and livelihood prospects.

According to the 2022 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment (ZIMVAC) it is projected that 3.8 million rural individuals to be food insecure at the height of the 2022/23 lean cropping season.

The loss of jobs and income means more people lack access to staple foods and basic resources. Malnutrition: Nutrient deficiencies are prevalent throughout Zimbabwe with “eight of Zimbabwe’s 59 districts” having an unprecedented acute malnutrition rate of more than 5% in 2020.

Zwnews