§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of food shortages in Zimbabwe. [133561]
§ Hilary BennThe Zimbabwe Emergency Food Security and Vulnerability Assessment released in April made a provisional estimate of 5.5 million people needing food aid by the first quarter of 2004. This figure might rise, since, with inflation now almost 500 per cent., many more people, particularly in cities and towns, cannot afford food even where it is available. The Government of Zimbabwe lacks the foreign exchange to import grains and continues to restrict the role of the private sector in importing and distributing food. The number of people needing feeding in urban areas is being assessed this month.
To date, less than 40 per cent. of the funding required for the current World Food Programme's Emergency Operation has been pledged by donors. Food aid supplies are therefore secure only through December. An interruption in food supplies, combined with the high level of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe, would obviously risk a significant increase in mortality rates. We are working closely with other members of the international community to update the overall estimates of humanitarian need. We will continue to monitor the position closely and encourage further contributions as necessary. This week we announced an additional contribution of £5 million to the WFP Emergency Operation. This is in addition to some £11 million of new commitments we have already made this year through NGO partners for food aid and agricultural recovery, and some £2 million granted to UNICEF for vaccines to immunise against childhood diseases.