Zimbabwe has reportedly secured at least 100 000 tons of maize grain from Mexico to help avert the hunger crisis that has affected more than four-million people in the southern African country.

Zimbabwe and a number of other sub-Saharan countries have been hit hard by El-Nino induced drought, forcing the country to import maize from other countries.

Early this year Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa was quoted as saying that the government was busy sourcing maize.

Mnangagwa said at the time that Zimbabwe was ready to accept international help to curb food shortages.

A report by New Zimbabwe said that the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) recently managed to negotiate with Mexico on behalf of government in South Africa.

"At the high-level meeting we progressively held with Mexico, we agreed that GMAZ will sign up to 100 000 metric tons of white maize to be supplied by Terra Wealth (Mexican milling company) to supplement our local grain reserves," GMAZ chairperson Tafadzwa Musarara was quoted as saying.

Last month the country sourced the same amount of maize from Tanzania, the report said.

Musarara also said that Mexico would be granted some contract farming deals in Zimbabwe.