Government prioritises food security for all

DUE to the El-Nino weather conditions, the country has received inadequate rains this season and many farmers across the country have watched their crops wilt due to extended dry periods.

As could be expected, households in traditionally dry parts of the province are starting to panic after the recent heatwave supped the little life that remained in their plants.

Due to the anticipated grain deficit, the grain prices have gone up.

However, Government, through the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, has assured the nation that no one will starve in Zimbabwe.

Government has said it will provide enough food to all Zimbabweans in need, and the promise is already being fulfilled as some communities have started receiving food aid.

This comes as the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) has said it has enough stocks of grain in its strategic grain reserves from the 2022/2023 season to ensure food security for vulnerable families across the country until the next harvest.

The food deficit mitigation programme, under which the Government provides vulnerable households with grain, will require about 24 000 tonnes per month.

In a recent cereal outlook report, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture Fisheries, Water and Rural Development said it had at least 240 000 tonnes in the strategic grain reserves, which is enough to see the country through the lean season.

It is also crucial to note that while some districts or areas did not do well this season, other areas are expecting good harvests that will feed into the strategic grain reserves so that grain is moved from areas of surplus to areas in deficit.

Treasury has already released ZWL11 billion for the transportation of grain relief to vulnerable communities.

The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare is listing those who are exposed to hunger as Government wants to ensure that no one dies of hunger. Those from the droughtprone areas who did not harvest enough grain in the previous season are getting food aid first.

In Manicaland, food insecure households in Buhera, Nyanga and parts of Chipinge, Makoni and Mutasa are already receiving food aid.

Government is also moving with speed to implement several programmes to enhance food security at household and national level as evidenced by the introduction of Pfumvudza, a conservation agricultural concept that is designed to achieve food security for an average household of six persons over one year.

The President Mnangagwa-led Government has also procured tractors and other agricultural equipment to enhance the country’s agricultural output to ensure food security.

Government is also constructing several dams to provide water for irrigation to avoid relying on rain-fed agriculture, with Osborne, Marovanyati and Muchekeranwa dams in Manicaland already making an impact.

The new water bodies are expected to enhance food security by providing water for irrigation and fish farming.

Government expects to open up at least 50 000 hectares of land per year under its accelerated irrigation development programme.