The government of Zimbabwe has denied it is facing a hunger crisis, despite statements by a U.S.-funded food-monitoring group.
A report last week by the U.S. Famine Early Warning System Network said food availability is declining and nearly six million of Zimbabwe's 12.5-million people will need food aid to survive until April's harvests.
It also said rising inflation makes available food unaffordable to many.
But Zimbabwe's Agriculture Minister Joseph Made countered that the government is distributing 370-thousand tons of grain to needy groups, while 400-thousand tons more are being held in reserve.
He added that last year Zimbabwe produced more grain than it needed and said the U.S. report was meant to help destabilize Zimbabwe before parliamentary elections in March
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Some information for this report provided by The Herald, BBC and Guardian.