Zimbabwe’s government announced 20-hour daily electricity cuts for households across the country on Wednesday as supplies are shifted to irrigate the crucial winter wheat crop amid persistent food shortages.
The Southern African country has already been experiencing frequent power cuts due to the declining capacity of its aging power plants which have seen very little new investment as the country battles severe foreign currency shortages.
Mines and factories have also been hit hard by regular power failures, which have caused a decline in production and contributed to an economic crisis and escalating political tensions over President Robert Mugabe’s 27-year rule.
Up to $2-billion is required to install new equipment and expand production at the country’s two main power plants in Hwange and Kariba to meet increased industrial and domestic demand, officials say.
A government notice published in state media said state-run power utility Zesa Holdings would give priority to wheat farmers, who need electricity for irrigation, while domestic use across the country will be restricted to just four hours a day.
The announcement did not say when the utility would begin the cuts, which are expected to last through the southern hemisphere winter to around September when demand for power is no longer at its peak.
”A window period between 2100 hours through to 1700 hours the following day, will be created to allow uninterrupted power supply to support the wheat irrigation activities,” the Ministries of Agriculture and Energy said in a joint statement.
”The four-hour period 1700 hours to 2100 hours evening peak is reserved to allow the domestic sector to carry out their normal household chores.”
The ministries said the move was part of the government’s efforts to increase wheat production this winter season.
”In order to support wheat production and reduce the need to import this staple food grain, increased load-shedding to other sectors of the economy, more so domestic, is unavoidable except during the stated evening peak period,” the ministries added.
Mugabe’s government has announced plans to import maize after another poor agriculture season it blames on the drought and the central bank has set up a fund to finance the programme.
Apart from erratic power supplies, Zimbabweans have to cope with persistent food, fuel and foreign currency shortages.
Zimbabwe’s economic crisis — highlighted by 2 200% inflation and the highest the world — is blamed on Mugabe’s controversial policies, such as the seizure of white-owned commercial farms to resettle black Zimbabweans.
Mugabe, however, denies mismanaging the economy and blames Western sanctions. – Reuters