Zimbabwe targets all white farms

Zimbabwe's farm invasions have hit food production

Agricultural officials say that almost all of Zimbabwe's white-owned farms have now been listed for take-over by the government, following the addition of another 529 farms on Friday.

This comes just a day after Finance Minister Simba Makoni admitted that Zimbabwe is running out of food and needs foreign aid to help it to buy grain from abroad.

The officials told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity that nearly all the 6,000 white-owned farms in Zimbabwe have been earmarked for resettlement.

Robert Mugabe has previously said that only half of the 12 million hectares of white-owned land would be seized.

Experts, donors and the opposition have repeatedly predicted that such a radical programme of land reform would slash Zimbabwe's food production - a warning dismissed by the government.

Prices of staples like bread have soared

Officials say that 104,000 black families have been resettled on 3.5 million hectares of land in the past year however many complain that they have been "dumped" with no government aid.

Zimbabwe is facing its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain 21 years ago.

A chronic lack of foreign currency has led to a shortage of fuel and other essential imports.

Dried up

United Nations experts say that Zimbabwe will need to buy up to 600,000 tonnes of cereals.

Foreign aid to Zimbabwe has largely dried up because of concerns about human rights and the actions of President Robert Mugabe against his political opponents.

Around 40 opposition activists and white farmers have been killed in political violence in the past 15 months.