HARARE, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Some 1.4 million people in Zimbabwe will need food aid in the six months until the next summer harvest despite improved output from last season, a U.N. World Food Programme official said on Wednesday.

President Robert Mugabe's government has forecast production of 1.8 million tonnes of the staple maize grain for the 2005/06 season.

But food agencies, while acknowledging output has improved in recent years, predict a lower crop as the southern African country struggles to recover from a sharp downturn in agriculture widely blamed on controversial land reforms.

On Wednesday the WFP's Zimbabwe representative, Kevin Farrell, said a joint exercise involving the government, U.N. agencies and non-governmental organisations had found that over a 10th of the country's estimated 12 million people would require aid before next April.

"We would broadly agree with that (assessment that) about 1.4 million people are in need of some level of food assistance," Farrell said at a news conference in Harare.

"The (food aid) distribution requirements between now and end of March are roughly 65,000 tonnes ... I would guess that has a cost of about U.S.$35 million. Of that, we have a shortfall as of today of 26,000 tonnes or $16 million."

On Wednesday Sweden donated $500,000 towards the WFP operations in Zimbabwe, under which over 5 million people have received aid since 2002.

"The social and economic situation in Zimbabwe remains very difficult and food aid to the poorest groups of the population will continue to be a priority," said ambassador Sten Rylander.

Critics say disruptions to agriculture linked to Mugabe's controversial seizure of white-owned farms for blacks largely ill-equipped to fully utilise the land have left what was once southern Africa's bread-basket struggling to feed itself.

Sweden is a member of the European Union, which has clashed with Mugabe's government over the land seizures as well as charges that it has abused human rights and rigged elections since 2000 to stay in power.

Asked on Wednesday whether the Swedish aid did not constitute propping up Mugabe's government amid an economic crisis widely blamed on its misrule, Rylander said it was part of humanitarian efforts to resolve the country's problems.

"I will never give up these efforts. I think there are a number of people in the government we can work with ... to move Zimbabwe out of the present situation," he said.

Last month the government said Zimbabwe's defence forces had taken over food security to shore up falling production as farmers hamstrung by shortages of inputs such as fuel, seed and fertiliser and a lack of skills struggle to raise output.

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