Zimbabwe Seeks Corn Imports From Tanzania in State Disaster

(Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe may clinch an agreement to buy corn from Tanzania by the end of this month, according to the east African country’s agriculture minister.

The southern African nation, hit by a drought and floods from a cyclone this year, is seeking the grain to meet its needs. The country on Tuesday declared a state of disaster because of the lack of rain.

“Negotiations are still ongoing. We hope to agree on the terms within the next two weeks to enable delivery to take place,” said Japhet Hasunga, the Tanzanian minister. “It’s only after we conclude the negotiations that I will be in a position to disclose the quantity we will export.”

Questions sent to the office of Sibusiso Moyo, Zimbabwe’s foreign affairs minister and head of its grain importation committee, weren’t responded to.

To contact the reporters on this story: Ken Karuri in Dar es Salaam at kkaruri@bloomberg.net;Antony Sguazzin in Johannesburg at asguazzin@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: John McCorry at jmccorry@bloomberg.net, Gordon Bell

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