WFP: Half of Zimbabweans face severe hunger

To assist those in need of food aid, WFP announced it was urgent to collect over 200 million US dollars for its emergency response in the first half of 2020 alone.

Harare: The World Food Program (WFP) has said millions of people in Zimbabwe are facing severe hunger due to prolonged drought and economic crisis.

James Belgrave, a spokesperson for the UN agency, explained on Monday that nearly 8 million Zimbabweans half the country's population are facing problems getting enough food and 4.1 million are relying on food aid.

Erratic and poor rainfall, as well as soaring inflation, have worsened Zimbabwe's most severe economic crisis in a decade.

To assist those in need of food aid, WFP announced it was urgent to collect over 200 million US dollars for its emergency response in the first half of 2020 alone.

Years of drought have sharply affected food production in Zimbabwe, once considered the breadbasket of Africa, according to the UN.

According to WFP, the domestic production of cereals can currently satisfy only 50% of the national demand.