Swaziland needs to import 86,000 tonnes of maize next year: government

MBABANE (AFP) Dec 29, 2003
Swaziland will need to import some 86,000 tonnes of maize next year -- more than half the 148,900 tonnes needed, the agriculture ministry said in a statement Monday.

"This has been necessitated by the ongoing drought which has affected maize production and affected other cereal crops in the kingdom," it said.

Farmers in the tiny mountain state between South Africa and Mozambique have run out of maize stocks as a result of poor harvests, the statement added.

More than 300,000 Swazis already depend on food aid provided by the UN World Food Programme.

Much of southern Africa is suffering from lower than average rainfall for the summer season.

TERRA.WIRE