James Tshuma, a farmer in Mangwe district in southwestern Zimbabwe,stands in the middle of his dried up crop field amid a drought in Zimbabwe, March 22, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

HARARE — Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday declared a state of disaster due to an El Nino-induced drought threatening food security in the country.

"The current agricultural season of 2023/2024 has not performed according to expectations due to the El Nino-induced drought. As a result, more than 80 percent of our country received below-normal rainfall," Mnangagwa said during a state of the nation address at the State House in Harare, the capital.

"By this declaration, I also call upon all Zimbabweans of goodwill, including those in the diaspora, the international community, United Nations agencies, development and humanitarian partners, international financial institutions, the private sector, churches and other faith-based organizations, as well as individuals, to generously donate towards ameliorating this state of national disaster," Mnangagwa said.