Chronicle Editor
Kuda Bwititi, Harare Bureau
MAIZE imports have been stepped up to 110 000 tonnes per month to guarantee food security, especially at a time when the 2018-2019 drought — regarded by the United Nations as the worst in 40 years — is taking its toll.
Shoring up grain imports is expected to address mealie-meal shortages that have seen the commodity being diverted to the black market. The country is in the throes of the lean season, which usually runs from October to March, when most households particularly in the rural areas would have exhausted their food stocks.
Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube told our Harare Bureau that Treasury had already budgeted to import enough grain to feed the country.
“The national target for grain requirements stands at 110 000 metric tonnes a month. That is the figure that will ensure that no one goes hungry. As Treasury, we have already availed part of the funds and the grain is coming in as we speak, and more will be coming. I am not sure of the actual modalities, but we have availed the funds and we will continue to release more funds as per the requirements to ensure that the country has enough food to feed everyone’s needs.”
Government, he added, is committed to maintain the strategic grain reserve, which had recently been depleted to about 100 000 tonnes from the recommended threshold of 500 000 tonnes.
“While we are importing, we also want to make sure that we maintain what is required in the strategic grain reserve.”
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Government is pulling all the stops to ensure that the country remains food secure.
“Government is putting all efforts to ensure that no one goes hungry. The President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) has been on record saying that no one should go hungry on account of the drought, and that is the programme that Cabinet is implementing.
“Every week in Cabinet we are going to have an assessment of the food situation to see where the food needs to go and make sure that all the modalities are in place for the food to be distributed where it is needed, and be distributed in time,” she said.
Last week, Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ), which represents the country’s biggest millers, said its members are targeting to import 80 000 tonnes of grain per month for milling. It also made a commitment to supply subsidised mealie-meal to the market.
“The GMAZ members remain committed to the Roller Meal Subsidy programme to the extent that some millers have utilised privately acquired maize towards the subsidy programme. GMAZ and its membership are now in full swing working on an import programme to bring in circa 80 000mt (metric tonnes) per month for milling, which also includes maize for the Roller Meal Subsidy Programme. GMAZ and its membership have mobilised resources and logistics to bring these tonnages of maize to adequately meet the high market demand.”
Government is working out a new subsidy level on imported grain “since the GMB (Grain Marketing Board) no longer has local maize available for the millers”, GMAZ said.
Last year’s drought, which was compounded by Cyclone Idai, diminished maize production and negatively impacted livelihoods. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that the 2019 maize production was approximately 40 percent below the country’s five-year average
Bongani Ndlovu