| Summary: | Zimbabwe's economy grew by 0.7 percent in 2016 despite the combined effect of the El Nino drought and domestic financial turmoil. The drought reduced agricultural output and increased food prices towards the end of the year, despite the government's efforts to boost production and stabilize prices. The public provision of agricultural inputs, the creation of food-for-work programs, and the establishment of price supports for staple foods accentuated the government's expansionary fiscal-policy stance. Meanwhile, the government also increased spending on a cash basis to clear domestic arrears. The authorities financed much of the widening fiscal deficit by issuing Treasury bills purchased by commercial banks and a US
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