Bulawayo faces food shortages

Harare - Zimbabwe's second city of Bulawayo is running out of maize meal, but the staple is still available in the capital Harare, state media reported on Wednesday.

"A (Bulawayo) survey carried out by this newspaper showed that most outlets had run out of maize meal," the state-owned Chronicle newspaper said.

President Robert Mugabe's government has this year forecast a 1.8 million tonne maize harvest, which is expected to meet the country's food needs for the first time since 2001. Other forecasts see a much smaller crop.

The newspaper said Bulawayo's shortages might stem from millers holding on to maize meal to press for a price increase.

"Maize-meal shortages have resurfaced in Bulawayo amid fears that millers are creating the artifical shortages to press for an increase in the price of the commodity," the paper said.

In Harare most shops had stocks of maize meal, with some saying deliveries were expected to resume this week after a two-day holiday.

Maize is a controlled commodity in Zimbabwe and is sold only to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), which then distributes it for milling to private firms.

The GMB buys maize from farmers at Z$31m a tonne and sells it to millers at a 10th of the price but has barred some millers for reselling the commodity back to the GMB through third parties.

GMB officials were not available for comment on Wednesday.

Aid agencies have warned of another food deficit in the country this year, saying a lack of inputs such as seed and fertiliser has undermined production in the recently ended summer cropping season.

Zimbabwe has suffered food shortages since 2001 after being hit by drought and disruptions to agriculture blamed partly on the controversial seizure of white-owned commercial farms for redistribution to landless blacks.

The lastest exchange rate data indicates that US$1 is worth roughly Z$250 000.