Food for work scheme revived

From George Maponga recently in CHIREDZI
The government has revived the food for work programme to cushion hunger-stricken villagers from grain shortages that have left more than four million hungry because of El-Nino-induced drought. Acting President Emmerson Mnangagwa last Friday said the government had started rolling out the food for work programme in Mashonaland West province and that this would be expanded across country.

Addressing hundreds of villagers at Nandi Estate in Chiredzi where he was on a tour to assess ongoing efforts to revive the estate run by Arda, the Acting President reiterated that the government had put in place measures to ensure no one succumbed to hunger.

Acting President Mnangagwa said President Mugabe had given a directive to Cabinet to ensure the country was adequately prepared to deal with the effects of the prevailing drought that has left more than four million people in need of food aid.

‘’President Mugabe has given us a directive to ensure that no one starves because of the prevailing food shortages caused by drought and government has since re-introduced the ‘Food for Work’ programme that has already started in Mashonaland West. The programme will be expanded to cover all parts of the country in due course,’’ he said.

“Under the ‘Food for Work’ programme, our people will get cash to buy food so that they are cushioned from the effects of drought. They will repair bridges and roads in their localities and get cash or maize because we don’t want anyone to starve,’’ he added.

The Acting President said the government was working flat out to revive Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector through irrigation, adding that the Presidential Inputs Support Scheme would be expanded this year for farmers to have adequate inputs and machinery ahead of the next farming season.

He said the government wanted Zimbabwe to shift from over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture to irrigation because of shifting weather patterns caused by climate change. The government was working with Arda to revive all its estates to grow food particularly maize and wheat to boost food security, he said.

‘’We’re working closely with Arda because we want silos to be built where there will be maize or wheat production. Milling plants will also be set up at the same place and this will result in the flourishing of other agro-businesses and create employment for our people,’’ he added.

Acting President Mnangagwa said the government wanted to curb border jumping by unemployed Zimbabweans mainly youths from the Lowveld area by creating jobs through a revival of the agricultural sector.

The government had also released $30 million to the Zimbabwe National Water Authority to procure equipment for construction of dams around the country and enhance the ongoing shift to irrigation to boost food security.

He said the economy was slowly coming out of the woods, a situation that has seen some Western countries that had imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe seeking re-engagement. Acting President Mnangagwa restated that the land reform programme was irreversible.

“Those who dream that our land, that we took from whites, will be returned to them should wake up because these are nightmares. As long as Zanu-PF is in power, there’ll never be a change on the land question and Zanu-PF will rule this country forever,’’ he said.

“Some Western countries imposed sanctions on us hoping to strangle our economy and effect regime change but they failed. They’re slowly coming back to us and we’re telling them that our doors are open. It’s them who closed theirs,’’ he added.

Zimbabwe is grappling with drought-induced food shortages and President Mugabe recently declared the drought a state of disaster, opening the doors for local and international help to avert a catastrophe.