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Most parts of Masvingo were hit by a serious dry spell which affected crops, triggering severe food shortages that have left over 400 000 people in need of urgent food assistance.

All the seven districts in the province need urgent food relief as villagers have long exhausted the meagre harvests from last year’s disastrous farming season.

The problem has been worsened by yet another drought in Masvingo this season which wiped out almost 80 percent of the staple maize crop.

Chief Gutu, Mr Amon Masanganise, said last week that villagers in his area were now flocking to his homestead daily in search of food.

“This farming season was very bad for most of communal farmers in my area,” he said. “Crops wilted due to a prolonged dry spell and villagers are now coming to my homestead daily seeking food aid, but I have nothing to offer them.

“We are appealing to President Mugabe to help us before the situation worsens.”

Another Gutu chief, Chief Chimombe, Mr Cleopas Muzondo, described the situation in his area as a complete disaster, saying he was even failing to help hungry villagers through Zunde Ramambo.

“President Robert Mugabe must intervene and help us with food assistance because we are not getting anything here such that people might end up starving if nothing is done to rescue the situation,” he said.

“To make matters worse, my 13 hectares of the Zunde Ramambo maize succumbed to the dry spell and I have nothing to give to the community.”

Chief Chimombe said the other challenge facing communal farmers in his area was that they were still obsessed with growing crops which required good and reliable rains instead of shifting to drought-tolerant crops.

Masvingo provincial agronomist Mr Paul Poshai said most crops failed due to the prolonged dry spell which affected crops last season.

He said they were still assessing the damage caused by the drought.

Masvingo Governor and Resident Minister Titus Maluleke has already described the just ended farming season as a disaster after rampant crop failure caused by the drought.

Masvingo has not had meaningful rains since the turn of the millennium, prompting calls for farmers to shift to drought tolerant small grains such as rapoko and sorghum.

Government recently said it was planning to import about 150 000 tonnes of maize from Zambia to cover the deficit caused by the drought.