Comesa drafts Covid-19 food, nutrition security strategy
THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) has drafted a Covid-19 regional food and nutrition security response strategy to improve agricultural productivity and trade in agri-food commodities in the region.
It is envisaged that the implementation of the plan would create synergies and complement existing initiatives across the 21-member States to which Zimbabwe is part of.
In a statement, Comesa said agriculture and environment experts from member States who attended the 7th Joint Technical Meeting on Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources held on Tuesday, were informed that the draft plan has been shared with their respective governments for further input.
“The Comesa Secretariat has developed a draft Covid-19 Regional Food and Nutrition Security Response Plan to improve agricultural productivity, enhance access to competitive markets and trade in agri-food commodities in the region,” it said.
The plan targets specific commodities and value chains that are critical for both regional and national food security and nutrition.
Once approved by member States, the plan would be used to help the region address food security and nutrition needs of the populations that are most vulnerable to the pandemic.
Speaking during the official opening of the meeting, Comesa secretary general Ms Chileshe Kapwepwe who was represented by her organisation’s assistant secretary general in charge of programmes Dr Kipyego Cheluget noted that a number of agricultural projects have been put on hold in the region due to the pandemic.
The stalling of agriculture projects within Comesa will negatively affect the sector hence the need for a strategic response plan for the next five years.
“This plan will help the region deal with food insecurity worsened by various threats including floods, recurrent droughts, fall army-worm and the worst locust infestation in decades that have destroyed crops and vegetation,” Ms Kapwepwe was quoted as saying.
According to the Comesa agriculture experts, Covid-19 risks escalating further with the prevailing food insecurity arising from the negative impact of the containment measures on the agri-food system.
These include restrictions on movement and availability of labour for farm work, difficulties in moving food from rural to urban areas, limitations to agro-input supplies and availability, closed markets, and restrictions on agriculture extension and advisory services.
“This is likely to disrupt further the entire food supply chains from production to processing, packaging, transporting, marketing and consumption resulting in rising staple food prices, food insecurity, loss of livelihoods and incomes and increased need for social safety nets,” Comesa agriculture economist Mr Joel Okwir said during his presentation to the meeting. Other key supportive intervention programmes that Comesa secretariat is implementing to support the sector include the Regional Enterprise Competitiveness and Access to Market Programme (RECAMP), Joint Industrialisation Pilot Programme between Zambia and Zimbabwe and the Comesa Seed Harmonisation Implementation plan (Comship). — @ okazunga.