malvernmugadzikwa
Sunday Mail Reporters
FUNDS that had initially been allocated by the Government to procure grain during this year’s marketing season are now being redirected to import cereals for the country’s drought relief programme.
There are also plans to roll out additional measures that will increase the overall budget for the programme. This follows completion of a nationwide assessment of household security meant to identify food-insecure families and inform a targeted food aid programme. The assessment was conducted over two weeks by officials from the Ministries of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development; and Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
Close to three million people are estimated to be food-insecure following the El Niño-affected summer cropping season that also devastated the SADC region.
President Mnangagwa has since declared a State of Disaster, paving the way for an accelerated response from the Government and enhanced resource mobilisation.
The country needs about US$2 billion to comprehensively respond to the drought.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube ruled out a supplementary budget.
“We are not going to have a supplementary budget,” he said. “We do not think that it will be necessary. We are going to have a budget reallocation. These are resources we had earmarked, for example, for purchasing grain from farmers. We will not be needing that because of low productivity. We will be shifting towards importation of grain.”
The Government, he said, plans to structure instruments, such as letters of credit, with banks to fund grain imports.
“It is their job as well,” added Prof Ncube. “I want them to be in business as well. We want them to support this, so, really, I do not think there will be any need for a supplementary budget.”
Assessment
Director of social welfare in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Mr Tawanda Zimhunga said completion of the household assessment and registration programme will ensure no one is affected by hunger.
“Our welfare officers were working in partnership with extension officers in assessing the impact of El Niño on each household,” he said. “Door-to-door visits were carried out, with traditional leaders playing key roles in ensuring no food-insecure individual is left behind. Currently, we are collating the data we collected from all the country’s provinces and will present it to the ministers on Monday for further guidance.”
The country’s drought response and mitigation plan, he said, outlines a broad strategy to support vulnerable households while also building resilience for future shocks.“With the information we have, starting this month, we will be giving the vulnerable households 7,5 kilogrammes of grain per family member. And that is definitely going to assist the orphaned or child-headed families, as well as the elderly rural folk,” said Mr Zimhunga.
He said the Basic Education Assistance Module will ensure no child drops out of school because of hunger.
“The school feeding programme will be scaled up,” he continued. “Drug and substance abuse survivors will be linked to other social protection services such as food assistance, cash transfer, public works programmes, sustainable livelihoods, empowerment programmes and skills training and counselling. “Food distribution will commence as soon as funds are made available from Treasury.”
The Government is already providing food aid to 2,7 million people, with the number expected to rise depending on the findings from the just-ended assessment.
Grain imports
The private sector intends to ratchet up grain imports after the Government waived duty last year in anticipation of depressed output. Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe chairperson Dr Tafadzwa Musarara told The Sunday Mail that importation of grain from South Africa was in full swing.
“The running contracts with South African suppliers are providing us with at least 65 000 tonnes every month,” said Dr Musarara. “However, in the next 120 days, we will see an increase in those figures because suppliers from Brazil will be on board, as well as those from Argentina and the United States of America. “The market will be fully satisfied considering how the Government has helped us in ensuring a free flow at the borders.”
Local millers, he added, had enough funds to import adequate grain.“Through to next year, we are targeting at least 1,1 million tonnes before July next year,” he said.
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