Foreign aid groups have pledged $60 million to help Zimbabwe's farmers boost production after years of decline, the United Nations said on Thursday. The southern African nation has suffered food shortages since 2001, which President Robert Mugabe's critics blame on the seizure of white-owned commercial farms to resettle black Zimbabweans. Six months ago, Mugabe formed a government with old rival Morgan Tsvangirai to try to revive the once relatively prosperous country and they have appealed for foreign help. The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said up to 600,000 households would get inputs like seed and fertiliser. "Ten donors have pledged resources amounting to $60 million, representing about 45 percent of the total requirement for the sector," the report said, adding that the humanitarian situation remained critical. Donors have pledged $315 million of the $718 million in aid the United Nations says Zimbabwe needs this year. But the government has struggled to raise the estimated $8.5 billion it says Zimbabwe needs for recovery and Western donors demand greater political reform before they will give direct support to the administration.
