Posted on February, 22, 2019 at 09:20 am
Zimbabwe may face a serious bread shortage by the end of the week. This comes as a result of the country's inability to pay for wheat, which it mostly imports. The Grain Millers Association has said that the country has only eight days' worth of wheat left.
Zimbabwe buys wheat from other countries and then mixes it with a locally grown grain in order to make bread, which is a staple in most Zimbabweans' diet. However, the country has been struggling to pay for the wheat it imports. The Grain Millers Association, for example, says that it owes at least $80 million for wheat, according EWN.
Similarly, the National Bakers Association was set to buy 55 000 tons of wheat, but now may not be able to pay. This follows months of economic woes in the country, along with violent protests and a brutal government crackdown on civilians. The country's president, Emmerson Mnangagawa, has failed to bring about the economic improvements that he promised. Instead of economic growth, Zimbabwe has been plagued by high unemployment as well as spiraling debt and price hikes.
Now, Zimbabwe is short on the US dollars it needs for essential supplies, including medicine and fuel. The bread crisis seems likely to add to instability in Zimbabwe, as well as people's anger at the government.
Source: UkrAgroConsult