Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe is facing another small cereal harvest next year because of severe shortages of seed and fertilizer, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network said.

The southern African nation has 19 percent of the corn seed required to meet its planting plans, and even if it is able to import more, the country is unlikely to be able to get it in the ground in time, the U.S. agency said in an e-mailed statement late yesterday. Corn is traditionally planted in the last two weeks of November and the first week of December, to coincide with the onset of the rainy season.

Zimbabwe is also facing a fertilizer shortage, with current stocks standing at 1 percent of requirements, the aid agency said. ``Given the critical shortages of seed and fertilizers, 2008-2009 prospects are poor unless resources can quickly be mobilized to address these shortages,'' it said.

The United Nations estimates between 5 and 5.5 million Zimbabweans will need emergency food rations this year after last year's harvests failed because of fertilizer and fuel shortages.

``Given current economic turmoil, political instability, and the necessity to direct resources to import and distribute food, improving access to inputs remains a challenge,'' the Famine Unit said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Latham via Johannesburg at pmrichardson@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 5, 2008 04:47 EST