Supply Lines

Africa’s Drought Ripples Through Global Food Trade

A vendor handles corn grain for sale at a market in the Mbare district of Harare, Zimbabwe, in March. 

Photographer: Cynthia R Matonhodze/Bloomberg

A devastating El Niño-induced drought across a swath of southern Africa is sending ripples through global food trade.

Dry and hot weather in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe has decimated corn crops, prompting the countries to declare a national state of disaster in recent months. South Africa, the region’s top producer, has seen its output slashed by at least a fifth.