FAO/GIEWS: Africa Report No.2 - September 2005 p.59
Zimbabwe’s total cereal production is estimated at 809 000 tonnes, including forecast for the winter wheat and barley crops. At this level, production is 43 percent below the average of the last five years. Consequently, cereal import requirement for 2005/06 are increased to 1.07 million tonnes, of which maize accounts for 84 percent. Commercial imports are severely hampered due to the current tight foreign exchange position.
| CEREAL SUPPLY/DEMAND BALANCE FOR THE 2005/06 MARKETING YEAR (April/March) | ||||
| Wheat | Rice | Coarse Grains | Total Cereals | |
| [ | thousand tonnes | ] | ||
| Previous year production (incl. paddy rice) | 80 | 3 | 893 | 976 |
| Previous five years average production (incl. paddy rice) | 181 | 2 | 1 236 | 1 419 |
| Previous year imports | 138 | 20 | 662 | 820 |
| Previous five years average imports | 116 | 17 | 513 | 646 |
| 2005/06 Domestic Availability | 80 | 1 | 742 | 823 |
| 2005 Production (incl. paddy rice) | 80 | 2 | 727 | 809 |
| 2005 Production (incl. milled rice) | 80 | 1 | 727 | 808 |
| Possible stock drawdown | - | - | 15 | 15 |
| 2005/06 Utilization | 230 | 21 | 1 642 | 1 893 |
| Food use | 216 | 21 | 1 435 | 1 672 |
| Non-food use | 14 | - | 207 | 221 |
| Exports or re-exports | - | - | - | - |
| Possible stock build up | - | - | - | - |
| 2005/06 Import Requirement | 150 | 20 | 900 | 1 070 |
| Anticipated commercial imports | 100 | 20 | 600 | 720 |
| of which: received or contracted | 1 | - | 334 | 336 |
| Food aid needs | 50 | - | 300 | 350 |
| Current Aid Position | ||||
| Food aid pledges | 11 | - | 31 | 42 |
| of which: delivered | - | - | 17 | 17 |
| Donor-financed purchases | - | - | - | - |
| of which: for local use | - | - | - | - |
| for export | - | - | - | - |
| Estimated Per Caput Consumption (kg/year) | 17 | 2 | 111 | 129 |
| Indexes | [ | percentage | ] | |
| 2005 Production compared to average (incl. paddy rice) | 44 | 100 | 59 | 57 |
| 2005/06 Import requirement compared to average | 129 | 118 | 175 | 166 |
| Cereal share of total calorie intake | 58 | |||
| Additional Information | ||||
| Major foodcrops | maize; wheat; millet; sorghum | |||
| Lean season | February-April | |||
| Population (000s) | 12 963 | |||
| GNI per capita in 2001 (US$) | 480 | |||