Zimbabwe Faces Wheat Shortage
Thursday, May 17, 2007 - FreeMarketNews.com
Despite last ditch efforts by the government to ration electricity for farming, the Zimbabwe government is warning that only 10 percent of its normal wheat crops have been planted this year, the BBC and the Associated Press have reported.Already dealing with shortages in maize, Zimbabwe will soon suffer from severe shortages in wheat based food such as flour and bread. The government blames shortages of water, power, fertilizer, tractors, and equipment for the low level of planting. Because the government has banned the use of foreign currency, and black market prices are rising at a rate of around 5000 percent a year, most farmers are unable to purchase the necessary resources in order to plant crops. Zimbabwe was once self sufficient in wheat and maize production. However, under the authority of President Robert Mugabe in 2000 the government began to confiscate large commercial farms owned by white people and it has been unable to operate them successfully.
Despite last ditch efforts by the government to ration electricity for farming, the Zimbabwe government is warning that only 10 percent of its normal wheat crops have been planted this year, the BBC and the Associated Press have reported.Already dealing with shortages in maize, Zimbabwe will soon suffer from severe shortages in wheat based food such as flour and bread. The government blames shortages of water, power, fertilizer, tractors, and equipment for the low level of planting. Because the government has banned the use of foreign currency, and black market prices are rising at a rate of around 5000 percent a year, most farmers are unable to purchase the necessary resources in order to plant crops. Zimbabwe was once self sufficient in wheat and maize production. However, under the authority of President Robert Mugabe in 2000 the government began to confiscate large commercial farms owned by white people and it has been unable to operate them successfully.
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