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Mr Sory Quane

Elita Chikwati and Freeman Razemba
The number of Zimbabweans requiring food aid is set to decline from 2,2 million to 565 000 next year as the country starts reaping benefits of the Food Security and Nutrition cluster of Zim-Asset which ensures food sustenance at national and household level.Food shortages are common between January and March as farmers await the next harvest.

The Food Agricultural Organisation and the World Food Programme yesterday underpinned the envisaged improvement in food security on Zim-Asset.

The decline in the number of food aid beneficiaries was calculated at 74,5 percent.

Latest reports by WFP and FAO come as Zanu-PF yesterday rolled out a $2,4 billion inputs support scheme as preparations for the 2014-2015 farming season gather momentum.

The improvement in food security has been attributed to improved production on farms last season where farmers produced 1,4 million tonnes of maize, up from 758 000 tonnes the previous year.

The Presidential Well-Wishers Inputs Scheme that saw 1,6 million households receiving seed, fertilisers and lime packs contributed significantly to the surge in production.

President Mugabe has single-handedly assisted communal  and A1 farmers with farming inputs as some financial institutions shunned the sector.

WFP Zimbabwe representative and country director, Mr Sory Quane, yesterday said cereals were still readily available at both household and market levels unlike the previous years and most communities have enough food until October 2014.

He said research findings showed that some small pockets might need assistance thereafter.

“The Zimbabwe Vulnerable Assessment Centre shows a dramatic improvement of food insecure people from 2,2 million, which is 25 percent of the rural population last year to six percent of the rural population next year.

“Zimbabwe has done very well through the launch of the Food Security and Nutrition Policy and the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Economic Transformation Zim – Asset and Nutrition Security,” he said.

Mr Quane said ending hunger should be at the centre of political agenda of every country.

He said where there was political will, it was possible to end hunger.

“Hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition are complex problems that cannot be resolved by a single stakeholder of sector.  There should be comprehensive policies, strategies and investment programmes based on evidence and experience, addressing the underlying causes of food insecurity,” he said.

He said food security was important to Government and there was need for human and financial resources for the implementation of the programmes.

Mr Quane commended Zimbabweans for their high levels of resilience to various shocks of life.

“This is evident in Zimbabwe. The country is prone to a series of droughts. People should improve resilience to be less vulnerable,” he said.

The WFP pledged to assist 430 000 people who are chronically food insecure in about 16 rural districts for five months between January and March 2015.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development responsible for Crops, Cde Davis Marapira, said credit should go to President Mugabe as his efforts were now bearing fruit.

“Because of the input scheme, which last year to supported 1,6 million households, many Zimbabweans were able to harvest considering that we received good rains as well. This scheme was done under ZimAsset cluster called the Food Security and Nutrition,” said Cde Marapira.

FAO sub regional co-ordinator for Southern Africa, Mr David Phiri, said many countries have been able to reduce huger as per World Food summit target.

“Key figures show that globally, 805 million people are chronically undernourished with developing countries making up the lion’s share at 791million in 2012-14. Globally, there has been a decline in undernourished people of 100 million people over the past 10 years and of 209 million people since 1990-92, with developing countries contributing 203 million to the latter mentioned figure. In southern Africa, 214 million people represent those that are undernourished, which translates to 1 in every 4.

“Angola, South African Mauritius and Malawi have already reached the MDGs target with Mozambique on the course to reach the target.
“Some parts of Sub Saharan Africa have lagged behind because of conflicts and natural disasters and the region has the highest number of malnourished people,” he said.

On a related matter, Government urged farmers to surpass the two million tonnes of maize projected in the Zim Asset for the 2014/2015 agricultural season.

Yesterday a joint venture between a local organisation, Lasch Enterprises and the Zanu-PF Youth League, launched the $2,4 billion initiative to assistance farmers buy inputs.

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Dr Joseph Made said in a statement read on his behalf by his Deputy Cde Marapira that the country would be self-sufficient and able to export surplus food.

“This joint venture crop input scheme complements the 2014/2015 agricultural season Government crop and livestock input scheme to support small holder farmers who are the cornerstone (99 percent) of our agriculture in Zimbabwe,’ he said.

“This programme is targeted to support 1,6 million households with crop or livestock inputs packs to stimulate production of key food and nutrition security crops.”

Dr Made said maize, small grains, sugarbeans/cowpeas, cotton and livestock were set to benefit from the Lasch/Zanu-PF Youth League agricultural fund.

He said Government was concerned with the low average national yield of 0,59 metric tonnes per hectare for maize.

Dr Made said with the support from Government, developmental partners and the private sector in the form of seed, fertilizers and extension services, improvements in crop yields in various farming sectors would be achieved.

“Food security and nutrition as a strategy under ZimAsset begins with farmers working hand in hand with input suppliers and companies like this joint venture,’ he said. ‘I am informed that farmers need to pay administration and insurance fees for them to register and access inputs.

“The loans do not attract any interest, but should be religiously paid back after harvest. I would like to urge our farmers to pay back their loans so that the loans revolve and can have greater impact on the agricultural economy.”

Senior Minister of State in the President’s Office, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, said through the joint venture, the Youth League had chosen to show detractors the correct path.

“The joint venture has proposed what some would view as an audacious and very ambitious mission – to be the renowned vehicle for successful sourcing, providing and extending agricultural loans and inputs to all farmers in Zimbabwe,” he said.

Minister Moyo said ZimAsset required that all organisations and private companies devised strategies and operational plans that contributed to the strategic goals proposed in the economic blueprint.

Lasch Enterprises managing director, Mr Evans Zininga said it was their hope that support for the scheme would go a long way in uniting Zimbabweans in farming.