Worst Drought in Four Decades Cuts Zimbabwean Corn Crop by 72%

  • Final estimate by government sees corn crop at 634,699 tons
  • Zimbabwe consumes more than 2 million tons of corn annually

A failed corn crop due to drought at a farm in Glendale, Zimbabwe.

Photographer: Cynthia R Matonhodze/Bloomberg
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Corn output in Zimbabwe will drop by almost three-quarters this year as the nation experiences its worst drought in four decades, according to the government.

Output of the staple grain in the 2023-24 season that ends May 31 is estimated at 634,699 tons, down 72% from last year, according to a final crop assessment seen by Bloomberg and confirmed by the Agriculture Ministry. That compares with a previous forecast of 868,237 tons.