Harare - The World Food Programme will appeal on Friday for 350 000 tons of food, mainly maize, to feed about 5,5 million Zimbabweans who will need emergency food by December.
WFP country director for Zimbabwe Kevin Farrell said the appeal, which could only be made after the Zimbabwean government provided crop estimates, might not stave off shortages at the end of August when the UN agency's stocks would run dry.
"We're looking at our food pipeline breaking at the end of August. Obviously, we're in discussion with donors and it's too early to say more than that we're hopeful that a couple will come through in time," Farrell said.
Still, he said the situation was extremely urgent.
"There now seem to be increasing levels of hardship in both rural and urban areas. We're getting people begging and pleading to be registered as WFP beneficiaries. Far more people than we can supply," he told journalists in Harare.
Farrell added that the state-owned Grain Marketing Board, which had a monopoly on the trade of maize and wheat, was possibly not managing to supply food needs not met by donors. - Independent Foreign Service
