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Zimbabwe needs an extra $75 million humanitarian aid: UN
02 Aug 2011 at 19:36hrs | Views
UN humanitarian coordinator for Zimbabwe Alain Noudehou and the country's ruling coalition will today launch a revised consolidated appeal (CAP) for aid for the African nation still struggling to shake off the effects of a decade of recession and political strife.
United Nations agencies said on Tuesday that Zimbabwe needs an extra $73 million in humanitarian aid this year, mainly due to increased food needs for vulnerable groups despite improvements in the agriculture sector.
Nearly 1.7 million Zimbabweans need food assistance this year, U.N. humanitarian coordinator Alain Noudehou said during a review of the southern African country's aid appeal.
As a result, U.N. agencies were now appealing for $488 million in aid to Zimbabwe for 2011, up from an initial $415 million, he said.
"Achievement of the desired food security levels was threatened by a protracted dry spell which affected six out of 10 provinces this year," Noudehou said.
The 2011 CAP was first launched last December with the UN requesting donors to provide US$415 million in support for a country whose humanitarian situation remains fragile despite the unity government of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai managing to stabilise the economy and ease political tensions.
The largest chunk of funds under the appeal was targeted to go towards food assistance, accounting for nearly US$159 million or 38 percent of the total amount sought.
Zimbabwe appealed for $478 million in support last year but received only $223 million or 46.7 percent of the funds requested, making the country's appeal one of the five least funded in 2010.
Zimbabwe, which was once a regional breadbasket, has battled food shortages since 2001 after Mugabe began seizing commercial farms from whites to give to blacks.
The reforms saw agricultural output plummeting because the Zimbabwean leader failed to provide black villagers resettled on former white-owned farms with inputs and skills training to maintain production.
Farm seizures also had a knock-on effect on the manufacturing sector that depended on agriculture for orders and inputs and has since 2001 operated below capacity.
Last week, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said Zimbabwe's production of maize grain would rise to 1.45 million tonnes in the 2010/11 season from 1.32 million tonnes in 2009/10.
United Nations agencies said on Tuesday that Zimbabwe needs an extra $73 million in humanitarian aid this year, mainly due to increased food needs for vulnerable groups despite improvements in the agriculture sector.
Nearly 1.7 million Zimbabweans need food assistance this year, U.N. humanitarian coordinator Alain Noudehou said during a review of the southern African country's aid appeal.
As a result, U.N. agencies were now appealing for $488 million in aid to Zimbabwe for 2011, up from an initial $415 million, he said.
"Achievement of the desired food security levels was threatened by a protracted dry spell which affected six out of 10 provinces this year," Noudehou said.
The 2011 CAP was first launched last December with the UN requesting donors to provide US$415 million in support for a country whose humanitarian situation remains fragile despite the unity government of President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai managing to stabilise the economy and ease political tensions.
The largest chunk of funds under the appeal was targeted to go towards food assistance, accounting for nearly US$159 million or 38 percent of the total amount sought.
Zimbabwe appealed for $478 million in support last year but received only $223 million or 46.7 percent of the funds requested, making the country's appeal one of the five least funded in 2010.
Zimbabwe, which was once a regional breadbasket, has battled food shortages since 2001 after Mugabe began seizing commercial farms from whites to give to blacks.
The reforms saw agricultural output plummeting because the Zimbabwean leader failed to provide black villagers resettled on former white-owned farms with inputs and skills training to maintain production.
Farm seizures also had a knock-on effect on the manufacturing sector that depended on agriculture for orders and inputs and has since 2001 operated below capacity.
Last week, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said Zimbabwe's production of maize grain would rise to 1.45 million tonnes in the 2010/11 season from 1.32 million tonnes in 2009/10.
Source - Byo24News
