Zambia issues urgent appeal for international food aid
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa has declared the nation’s food crisis a national disaster and has appealed for urgent international aid to help four million of his people avoid starvation.
In a television address to the nation, Mr Mwanawasa said this year’s poor corn crop - less than half of what is needed to feed the country - will run out by August.
He announced a ban on the export of corn and encouraged subsistence farmers to keep some of their harvest in reserve "for the hard days ahead".
Zambia’s food crisis stems from a drought that has affected farmers throughout southern Africa this year. The United Nations has said that around 10 million people are already on the brink of starvation in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Lesotho and Swaziland.
