United
Nations agency has warned that food security in the southern African country
has continued to deteriorate making over two million people in Zimbabwe vulnerable
for food assistance by early next year.
World Food
Programme (WFP)
spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs made this statement while briefing reporters in Geneva, and insisted that the
food security situation is at its worst since 2009, with the national maize
harvest being less than last year’s 1 million metric tons, and less than the
country’s requirement of 2.1 million metric tons.
The Government
of Zimbabwe, NaijaAgroNet
was informed has requested international support for food assistance to meet
the growing needs to which WFP is launching a relief programme in the
worst-affected areas and gradually scale up assistance over coming months.
“WFP and
partners will begin food distributions and will expand its operations until the
end of March when the next harvest comes. Three distributions will start in
three districts of Midlands and Matabeleland North provinces, and will be
scaled up to 19 districts in November, 38 in December, and 41 districts from
January to March,” Byrs said.
AN/GEE
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