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Tapiwanashe Matangaidze

Midlands Correspondent

Vulnerable and less privileged people living in urban centres have started receiving food aid following revelations of an increase in the number of families in need of food aid from 644 306 to 840 000 households. In an interview, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Engineer Tapiwanashe Matangaidze said 4,1 million people were in need of food aid and the ministry had already started distributing maize in metropolitan provinces of Bulawayo and Harare.He said other small towns and cities will benefit from their provincial allocations.

“We have an excess of three months’ supply of maize and we have started distributing maize in metropolitan provinces to vulnerable people. We have allocated 157 tonnes of maize to Bulawayo, while we have also given Harare province 167 tonnes of maize.

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“What we have realised as Government is that the number of people who are in need of food aid has increased to 840 000 from 644 306 households. Now, an estimate of about 4,1 million people is need of food aid,” he said.

Eng Matangaidze said Government had distributed about 200 000 tonnes of maize this year, following the El Nino-induced drought that affected the greater part of Southern Africa.

He said the country, however, had more than enough grain in stock that could sustain it until the next harvesting period.

“We have, so far, distributed 194 343,23 tonnes of maize this year, following the drought. Government has secured enough food for the people.”

This year, farmers have delivered about 110 00 tonnes of maize to the Grain Marketing Board and they have been fully paid.

The Southern African Development Committee (sadc) region is also grappling with effects of the El Nino-induced drought after declaring the drought a disaster and is seeking $2,4 billion to help an estimate of about 40 million vulnerable people in the region fight hunger.

El Nino has resulted in widespread crop failures and poor harvests, with a 9,3 million tonne regional shortfall in cereal harvest production in Southern Africa.

The drought has also affected livestock with about 643 000 drought-related deaths reported in Botswana, Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.