Zimbabwe needs to urgently import 500,000 tonnes of corn to avert shortages after the staple crop was hit by an extended dry spell, according to agriculture minister Joseph Made on Wednesday (Feb 3).

Made said that the Ministry of Finance (MoF) for now, should import 500,000 tonnes of grain, a quantity which in the past formed the country's strategic grain reserve. Zimbabwe has not had grain reserves for more than a decade.

The southern African country, which is struggling to recover from a decade of economic collapse, has relied on food aid and imports since 2001, after President Robert Mugabe's government seized white commercial farms to resettle landless blacks, most of whom were poorly equipped and underfunded.

A unity government formed between Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had raised hopes the era of shortages had ended but an extended dry spell has destroyed crops, forcing the government to import food again.

Made said the government would produce its first crop assessment report on February 15.

Zimbabwe's farmers have forecast a disastrous season and a farmers' union said on Monday the country needs to import more than half its annual grain requirements of two million tonnes.

The country's coalition administration said it needs at least US$10 billion to rebuild the shattered economy but has struggled to raise funds to finance its needs. Grain imports will exert added pressure on its already scant resources.