- Title: ZIMBABWE: MAIZE EXPORTS TO BEIRA.
- Date: 25th September 1981
- Summary: 1. GV Lorry and trailer loaded with maize, arriving 0.10 2. GV Railway station, Manica, Mozambique flag. (2 SHOTS) 0.16 3. SV Armed guard at railway station. 0.18 4. GV Maize being unloaded from lorry to train. (4 SHOTS) 0.50 5. SCU Desmond Taylor of UNWFP being interviewed, replying to question. 1.34 6. GV Maize on railway trucks. (2 SHOTS) 1.46 SPEECH (TRANSCRIPT) SEQ. 5: INTERVIEWER (OFF SCREEN): "What are the major problems you face in this exercise?" TAYLOR: "Er, transport, is the major one. It is a complicated exercise. The maize has to be brought by road from Zimbabwe, through two border ports, and then it has to arrive here and there has to be sufficient rail wagons space to load it and locomotives to pull it down to Beira....Then it has to be stored until chartered vessels arrive. Then up the coast or round the bottom horn of Africa to Angola, Mali and Senegal. It is a question of co-ordination of transport. All this needs a lot of practical management skills." Initials JS Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 10th October 1981 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: VILA DE MANICA, ZIMBABWE/MOZAMBIQUE BORDER
- Country: Zimbabwe
- Reuters ID: LVAGH14PH98Y2BIFVNZOFWCATNL
- Story Text: INTRODUCTION: The African state of Zimbabwe is having problems with its exports of maize after South Africa withdrew railway engines taking the crop out of the country. Although exports are still continuing the Zimbabwe governments are running heavy losses through lost trade. And they have borrowed trains to ease the problems.
SYNOPSIS: The maize arriving at Villa de Manica on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique comes by road from inside the country.
Villa de Manica is the railhead where the bagged grain is transferred to railway trucks for movement to the Mozambique port of Beira.
From Beira the grain travels by ship to anyone of a dozen African states. But the withdrawal of railway engines by South Africa has made the export of grain more difficult and the delays are costing Zimbabwe more than six million US dollars a week. Priority has been given to tobacco exports as the crop is more valuable for each wagon load moved. Desmond Taylor of the United Nations World Food Programme is in charge of maize shipments.
In the last ten weeks more than 18 thousands tonnes of maize have passed through Villa de Manica, and now Mr. Taylor has two other UN Advisers to help plan shipments.
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