Zimbabwe: UN to Send Food Aid in 2020

In a bid to curb a severe hunger crisis in Zimbabwe, the United Nations is planning to send emergency food aid to roughly a quarter of the country’s population.

Once one of southern Africa’s largest food producers, Zimbabwe – home to a population of approximately 14 million people – has been struck by drought, rising levels of inflation, and a shortage of bank notes.

Altogether, these negative factors have had an adverse on the country’s food production.

According to reports, the World Food Programme (WFP) will deliver 240 000 metric tons of food to 4.1 million Zimbabwean citizens in January next year.

WFP executive director, David Beasley, said in a recently released statement: “With poor rains forecast yet again in the run-up to the main harvest in April, the scale of hunger in the country is going to get worse before it gets better.”

WFP country director, Eddie Rowe, added: “If we don’t reach out and assist these people, then the situation would blow up into a major crisis.”