"Zimbabwe's Agriculture Policies Will Not Work," USA Ambassador

USA Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Brian Nichols has said that Agriculture policies being implemented in the country will not yield the intended goal of alleviating hunger if there is no transparency and accountability. He said:

The agricultural policies being implemented by the Zimbabwean government are not allowing this nation to reach its full potential. In the 1990s, there was a deep drought in the region and all Southern African nations were fed by Zimbabwe but for now moving into 2018, this country requires food aid to feed half of its rural population.

You have seen stories about $3 billion which cannot be accounted for. In previous Command Agricultural programmes, there have been numerous allegations exposed by the Public Accounts Committee, spikes in exchange rates, all these things are related. So there is need for transparency market led agricultural policies.

His remarks come at a time when the country is facing possible severe starvation due to a huge grain deficit.

The government attributes famine to El Nino induced drought and tropical Cyclone Idai which destroyed crops which were weeks away from maturity.

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