China News Service, Johannesburg, April 4 (Reporter Wang Xi) On the evening of April 3, local time, Zimbabwean President Mnangagwa announced that due to the severe drought caused by the El Niño event, the country has entered a state of disaster and needs to invest at least 2 billion to help the country tide over the crisis.
Since the second half of last year, the El Niño event has triggered severe droughts in southern African countries, including South Africa and Zimbabwe, and caused serious damage to the food production of these countries. Mnangagwa revealed that due to insufficient rainfall, rainfall in more than 80% of the country's regions is below normal levels, and the output of the 2023-2024 agricultural season is not optimistic.
So far, this round of drought has left more than 2.7 million people unable to obtain enough food. In addition, Zimbabwe is highly dependent on hydropower, and the drought has also greatly affected power production. To this end, Mnangagwa called on the people across the country, as well as the international community and United Nations agencies to join hands to alleviate the current food crisis.
Data show that the impact of this El Niño event is extremely serious. Since the second half of last year, temperatures in southern African countries such as Zimbabwe and Malawi have been much higher than the average in previous years, and rainfall in major grain-producing areas has only been average. It is less than 80% of the level, thus posing great risks to food production. In fact, Zimbabwe is the third country in Southern Africa to declare drought a national disaster, after Malawi and Zambia.
Since it cannot import food from Malawi and Zambia, its traditional purchasing countries, Zimbabwe has to turn its attention to South Africa. However, according to Tafazwa Mabhoudi, a South African agricultural expert and professor of climate and agriculture at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the amount of food that South Africa can currently export to Zimbabwe is also extremely limited due to the impact of the El Niño event.
In response to the severe drought in Zimbabwe, Edward Caron, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Zimbabwe, said that relevant organizations or institutions are working hard to mobilize resources and will finalize response plans to help the Zimbabwean people tide over the difficulties. (over)