The situation in Zimbabwe is growing increasingly dismal, as the human and economic crisis in the country continues to acceleration. Despite a wide range of almost insurmountable challenges, the country's leading food and drink producers are somehow still managing to carry on with their operations, as discussed in BMI's recently published Zimbabwe Food & Drink Report for 2009. According to a survey carried out by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, manufacturing declined by 28% in 2007 followed an 18% decline in 2006, which was attributed to a combination of factors including foreign currency shortages. Food and drinks producers are continuing to deal with a severe shortage of packaging materials, carbon dioxide, raw ingredients, clean water and fuel, forcing those companies that are still in business to severely alter how they operate. Making maters worse is the equally bleak outlook in the agricultural sector. In a country that was once the regional breadbasket, output has dropped drastically, with little new farming now taking place. With the government monopolizing the buying and selling of corn through he Grain Marketing Board, there is little incentive for farmers to continue to plant, for with the current levels of inflation, any payments received are almost immediately worthless. Currently about half the population is at risk of starvation, the crop that should be harvested in March looks set to be a disaster, diseases such as cholera are spreading, and an estimated 80% of Zimbabweans now find themselves jobless and living in penury. International food and medical aid continues, but is continually hampered or commandeered by the regime. A recent survey conducted by the United Nations World Food Program found that the food security situation in Zimbabwe has deteriorated drastically over the past year alone. According to the findings of this survey, the proportion of people who had eaten nothing the past day had risen from zero to 12% while those who had eaten only one meal had shot up to 60% from 13% the year before. The country is on the very edge of implosion. The current official inflation rate is 231,000,000%
For more information or to purchase this report, go to:
- http://www.fastmr.com/
About Business Monitor International
Business Monitor International (BMI) offers a comprehensive range of products and services designed to help senior executives, analysts and researchers assess and better manage operating risks, and exploit business opportunities, across 175 markets. BMI offers three main areas of expertise: Country Risk BMI's country risk and macroeconomic forecast portfolio includes weekly financial market reports, monthly regional Monitors, and in-depth quarterly Business Forecast Reports. Industry Analysis BMI covers a total of 17 industry verticals through a portfolio of services, including in-depth quarterly Country Forecast Reports. View more research from Business Monitor International at http://www.fastmr.com/
About Fast Market Research
Fast Market Research is an online aggregator and distributor of market research and business information. We represent the world's top research publishers and analysts and provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available.
For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.
