US embassy cable - 02HARARE2632

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HARARE 002632 
 
SIPDIS 
 
USAID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA FOR HAJJAR, KHANDAGLE AND MARX 
DCHA/FFP FOR LANDIS, BRAUSE, SKORIC AND PETERSEN 
AFR/SA FOR POE AND COPSON 
AFR/SD FOR ISALROW AND WHELAN 
STATE/INR FOR LESLIE CURTIN AND WILLIAM WOOD 
STATE FOR AF/S DELISI AND RAYNOR 
NAIROBI FOR DCHA/OFDA/ARO FOR RILEY, MYER AND SMITH 
REDSO/ESA/FFP FOR SENYKOFF 
GENEVA PLEASE PASS TO UNOCHA, IFRC 
PRETORIA FOR USAID/DCHA/FFP FOR DISKIN 
DCHA/OFDA FOR BRYAN AND USDA/FAS FOR HELM 
ROME PLEASE PASS TO FODAG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID, PREL, US, ZI 
SUBJECT: Field Visit Report to Matebeleland North; 
      7-9 November 2002 
 
REFS: (A) Harare 2496, (B) Harare 2623 
 
------------ 
INTRODUCTION 
------------ 
 
1.  This cable summarizes the major findings on the food 
security situation in Matebeleland North Province from a 
recent field visit conducted to the area by a joint USAID 
Food for Peace, Famine Early Warning Service Network 
(FEWS NET) and World Food Programme (WFP) team. 
 
 
---------------- 
PURPOSE OF VISIT 
---------------- 
 
2. The purpose of the visit was to conduct a rapid 
appraisal of the food security situation in Binga and 
Insiza districts of Matebeleland province, and to provide 
guidance to the Regional Food for Peace Officer (FFPO) 
visiting Matebeleland province on a mission to 
investigate the politicization of food aid in the 
province (see reftel A for sep-FFPO report on this latter 
subject). 
 
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METHODOLOGY 
----------- 
 
3. The trip was conducted over the period 7-9 November 
2002.  Findings presented in this report are based on a 
rapid appraisal of food markets in Bulawayo City and 
Lupane, Hwange and Binga Districts in Matebeleland North 
Province.  Personal observations were complemented by 
interviews with representatives from WFP in Matebeleland, 
World Vision (WV), Organization for Rural Areas Progress 
(ORAP), and Dabane Trust (the last two local NGOs), as 
well as the District Administrator for Binga, the Binga 
Co-coordinator for the Catholic Archdiocese Ecumenical 
Commission (CADEC, the Zimbabwe equivalent of CARITAS), 
and villagers from Lupane, Hwange and Binga Districts. 
Note:  Following preliminary discussions, Insiza was 
dropped from the visit itinerary due to security concerns 
related to the continuing sensitivity of the situation in 
that district (see reftel A for more on this subject). 
End Note. 
 
----------------------- 
FOOD SECURITY SITUATION 
----------------------- 
 
4. The food security situation continues to worsen, both 
in the provincial capital (Bulawayo) and in the rural 
areas of Matebeleland.  Food access is seriously limited 
by the run-away inflation - estimated at 144% as the end 
of October 2002, suppressed incomes and the ever- 
increasing levels of unemployment.  Incomes of poor urban 
households are trailing way behind inflation.  Recent 
salary reviews for unskilled and the semi-skilled workers 
saw their salaries increase to between ZD13,000 and 
ZD24,000 per month - between one-third and two-thirds 
less than the October 2002 Consumer Council of Zimbabwe 
recommended minimum expenditure basket for an average Low- 
Income-Urban household.  The staple food maize meal and 
maize grain are not readily available in the shops, but 
are occasionally available on the parallel market at more 
than six times the controlled price.  Bread, until 
recently the main substitute for maize meal (along with 
Irish potatoes and rice), is selling for twice its 
controlled price, and is in seriously short supply. 
 
5. Prices of Selected Basic Goods as at 8 November 2002: 
 
   -------------  ------  ---------- -------  -------- 
   Food Item      Unit    Controlled Prices   Prices in 
                             Price      in     Bulawayo 
                                      Binga     City 
                                      Town 
                             (ZW$)    (ZW$)     (ZW$) 
   -------------  ------  ---------- -------  -------- 
        Bread      Loaf      60.44     160     130 
   Sugar           2kg      114.70     300     200 
   Irish potatoes  15kg         Na    3000    3000 
   Rice            2kg          Na    1075     800 
   Cooking oil     750ml    114.70     700     700 
 
6. The majority of rural households in Matebeleland North 
did not have any meaningful harvest from the 2000/2001 or 
2001/2002 production years.  As a result, they have been 
dependent on food aid and/or the market for the last two 
marketing seasons.  WFP is currently feeding between 40 
and 70% of the people in five out of six districts of 
Matebeleland North Province.  In Binga, the only district 
in which WFP is not currently operating, CADEC and some 
church groups were undertaking feeding operations.  Save 
the Children - UK (SCF-UK) was active in providing 
assistance in Binga until they were stopped by 
Government, following accusations of supporting the 
opposition in the September local government elections. 
Note:  SCF-UK has just received final approval from the 
GOZ this week to resume their humanitarian assistance 
activities in this district.  They expect to resume 
feeding programs there soon.  End Note.  WFP, through 
their NGO implementing partners in this Province, ORAP 
and World Vision, supplies about 2,000 MT per month of 
food aid in each of the districts in which they are 
operating. 
 
7. Government, through the Grain Marketing Board (GMB), 
supplies about 1,000 MT of food to each district per 
month.  The food is sold to local communities at around 
$10.20/kg, down from ZW$19/kg in May 2002, at 
distribution points established throughout the rural 
areas.  Maize deliveries by GMB to the communities are 
very erratic in all of the districts of Matebeleland 
North.  Households wait for between two to three months 
to get maize sufficient for only two to three weeks' 
needs.  The main reasons for the irregular maize supply 
are reported to be limited stocks from the supply depots 
in Bulawayo, and inadequate transport to move available 
grain from Bulawayo to district depots and, in turn, to 
the selling points within the districts.  Transporters 
are not comfortable with the generally poor road network. 
In the case of Binga, transporters find the route from 
Bulawayo too long and dangerous, particularly the section 
that goes through Kamativi Mines which has sharp curves 
and steep slopes.  In addition, the strip road to Nkayi 
is accused of tearing tires apart with its deteriorating 
shoulders. 
 
8. To address the access side of food security, 
government is operating a cash-for-labor programme, 
parallel to the food sales programme, in which community 
members undertake some work in infrastructure development 
and repair to receive between ZD500 and ZD1,500 per 
person per month for the work. 
 
9. Poor management of GMB maize has allowed some 
unscrupulous villagers with cash to buy more food than 
they need which is being smuggled across the Zambezi 
River for sale in Zambia for hefty profits.  For example, 
it was reported that a 50kg bag of maize bought for about 
ZD510 can be sold for up to ZD3,000 in Zambia.  Binga 
residents complain that, in addition to maize grain and 
meal, sugar, fuel and other basic items are also being 
smuggled into Zambia.  In addition, although illegal, 
limited maize grain sales by some private dealers are 
reported to be occurring throughout this Province. 
 
----------------- 
COPING STRATEGIES 
----------------- 
 
9. To deal with the food shortages, rural communities are 
employing a variety of different coping strategies. 
Reported strategies include reducing the number of meals 
per day (while reductions to one meal per day were most 
common, some households are reportedly skipping meals for 
an entire day), feeding on leaf vegetables (kale, rape, 
chomolia, etc.), and collecting/eating wild fruits 
(baobab, utsiga) and vegetables (utende).  Some 
households share the limited grain or maize meal that 
they receive as food assistance or buy from GMB with 
relatives and friends who have run out of stocks. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2002/2003 PRODUCTION SEASON 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
10. Like the greater part of the country (see reftel B), 
Binga, Lupane and Hwange Districts have received adequate 
rains to date, and farmers have started planting this 
season's crops.  Smallholder farmers in the three 
districts visited have limited stocks of sorghum and 
millet seed available to plant this year.  There is no 
maize seed on the market.  As a result, farmers are 
resorting to planting some of the maize grain they have 
received as food aid or bought from the GMB for food. 
Input support schemes run by government, NGOs and church 
organizations are attempting to address the seed 
availability and access constraints that are spread 
throughout the Province (and indeed the entire country - 
reftel B). 
 
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COMMENT 
------- 
 
11. The team's findings support the increasing gravity of 
the deteriorating food security situation in this region 
of the country.  While the situation is indeed grim, it 
remains difficult to assess accurately due to the paucity 
of available/systematic data on the nutritional status of 
the affected populations.  More effort needs to be 
devoted to national nutritional surveillance in Zimbabwe, 
on an urgent basis, to address this situation and guide 
future relief efforts over the coming critical "hungry 
season" months.  The preliminary findings on preparations 
for the 2002/03 agricultural season appear to support 
similarly dire predictions for greater country at large 
(reftel A).  Although it remains too early for any 
accurate projections, this initial anecdotal evidence 
bodes extremely ill for this chronically poor, rainfall 
deficit and highly food insecure region of the country. 
Sullivan