Almost no maize is moving to famine-stricken parts of Southern Africa — despite estimates that 12,6-million people in the region are in dire need of the staple food.
Shiploads of maize from the United States and Mexico have been delivered to ports on South Africa’s eastern seaboard, but the quantities fall far short of the more than one million tons that the World Food Programme (WFP) says are required to feed the region.
Major obstacles to famine relief are inadequate transport infrastructure and the fact that many of the affected countries lack the means to buy the maize. The WFP is the only aid organisation with significant resources.
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation says 19 African countries face food shortages: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Eritrea and Guinea.
John Gordon, chairperson of the South African Cereals and Oilseeds Trade Association, said dollar buyers are purchasing maize meal in South Africa and trucking it over the borders, but in small amounts.
Rod Gravelet-Blondin, general manager of the South African Futures Exchange’s (Safex) agricultural division, said the Southern African Development Community held a meeting in July last year after the current shortages were foreseen. ”But no one did anything about it. The market mechanisms were not used to buy maize between July and October last year, when it was available at R1 000 a ton on Safex.”
Maize is now twice as expensive as it was last year.
Mike Asefovitz, Spoornet’s spokesperson, said that since February Spoornet had transported 70 000 tons of maize to Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi. Little is being transported now, but it is difficult to know how much maize is reaching these countries because US dollar buyers are transporting it across borders by road.
In South Africa about 40% of the current crop has been harvested, compared with an average of 60% for this time of year. Yields have been good. South Africa is also the only country in the region that still has maize from last year’s crop in its silos. A total of 559 000 tons of white maize and 643-million tons of yellow maize remain stockpiled.
Yellow maize is generally used as animal feed, but in conditions of shortage it is also used for human consumption. For this reason the price of yellow maize on Safex is higher than international prices.
Cash and food donations to the regional operation responsible for the WFP’s emergency feeding operation total $128,3-million, says a spokesperson. This represents a quarter of what is needed until March next year.
But even if the cash is found to buy adequate maize for the region, it may not reach the hungry.
Spoornet is severely constrained in the quantities of maize it can transport on behalf of other Southern African countries because of a shortage of train drivers and the logistical difficulties of transporting cargo at short notice. South Africa’s harbours are also operating at capacity.