Country to import 469,000 tonnes of white maize as drought bites

Pulse Staff 10:50 - 23 March 2016

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A Zimbabwean man, Graham Matanhire, harvests maize from a field in a peri-urban suburb of Mabvuku in Harare, April 10, 2014. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo

The maize should be in Zimbabwe by September, Marangwanda said.

Zimbabwe has placed orders to import 469,000 tonnes of white maize after a drought hurt production of the staple crop, an industry official said on Wednesday.

Jasper Marangwanda, the head of Zimbabwe's Grain Logistics Taskforce, which is coordinating maize imports on behalf of the government, told reporters that half of the maize is expected to come from Zambia, with the rest to be imported from the United States and Mexico.