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 HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Major increases in the price of staple foods went into effect Saturday as President Robert Mugabe, who recently refused assistance claiming the country had a bumper harvest, acknowledged that Zimbabwe needs food aid to avert famine.
The price hikes — 51 percent for maize meal and 29 percent for bread — came days ahead of a meeting with James Morris, World Food Program chief, to discuss Zimbabwe's massive food aid requirements despite its longstanding claims it was self-sufficient.
Zimbabwe's economy has slowly collapsed since Mugabe introduced his land reform program and confiscated white-owned farms, beginning five years ago. Zimbabwe's once thriving agricultural sector, which made it the regional bread basket, is destroyed.
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