Publication Date December 6, 2016 | Reuters

Zimbabwe imported more than 300,000 tonnes of maize in 2016 after drought

Zimbabwe
A villager uses a wheelbarrow to collect a monthly food ration provided by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, January 25, 2016. Photo: Philimon Bulawayo, Reuters
A villager uses a wheelbarrow to collect a monthly food ration provided by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Masvingo, Zimbabwe, January 25, 2016. Photo: Philimon Bulawayo, Reuters

Zimbabwe imported more than 300,000 tonnes of maize in 2016 to plug a shortfall caused by a devastating drought in one of the continent's poorest countries, President Robert Mugabe said on Tuesday.

The El Nino-induced drought that hit southern Africa has been particularly bad for Zimbabwe, whose economy is in the grips of severe cash shortages, causing widespread food shortages and fuelling anti-government protests in recent months.