THE World Food Programme (WFP) has classified Zimbabwe as
one of the 18 countries in the world that will likely come out of the deadly
coronavirus pandemic in a worse off situation.
According to the United Nations agency, donor support was
needed now “more than ever” for Zimbabwe and other countries affected by
political instability as they fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
“For many people WFP is the only source of food and
survival. We need our donors’ and partners’ support more than ever to fight the
twin threats of hunger and pandemic.
“Updated hunger hotspots report identifies countries at
risk of plunging further into crisis as Covid-19 looms,” the WFP said.
Zimbabwe was classified as “overheating” together with
other countries like Haiti, Burkina Faso, Mali and western Niger.
Nigeria, Iraq, Ethiopia and other countries were also mentioned
in the report as food-insecure.
“Zimbabwe’s worst drought in a decade has compounded the
crisis engulfing the country, as economic collapse and political instability
fuel political protests and social unrest, which may worsen in the coming
months,” the WFP report reads.
“Food inflation had increased to over 700% by the end of
2019, and is likely to rise further during the peak of the lean season between
harvests in the first quarter of 2020.
“Farmers are struggling to access agricultural materials,
bringing fears of another poor harvest.”
The latest analysis from an International Food
Classification report estimates that about 4.3 million people are facing severe
acute food insecurity in the country and the figure is expected to rise through
to March 2020. Standard
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