adminYOUTHS in Matabeleland South province have called on the Government to expedite provision of food aid to the province to deal with the food shortages in the area.
Speaking at a party event in Mangwe District recently, Zanu-PF secretary for youth affairs in Matabeleland South Province Cde Washington Nkomo said most households in the province were staring starvation in the face owing to poor yields in the 2014-15 farming season.
Matabeleland South province, among other areas in the southern parts of the country, received erratic rains in just ended rainy season resulting in most crops failing.
People and livestock in the province are facing imminent food shortages.
According to estimates, the province by last month was battling a food deficit of 60,991 tonnes with Beitbridge, Gwanda and Insiza South being the worst affected areas.
Cde Nkomo appealed to Government to move with haste in providing food assistance to the province’s needy population.
“As you know we had a poor farming season. The rains were not very good and so were our yields. We appreciate what Government has done so far to source food for its people, but we would want to call on the same Government to move with speed in the distribution of food.
“There are some families that did not harvest anything during the past rainy season and are facing starvation. Those are some of the most critical cases we have in the province which call for urgent distribution of food,” said Cde Nkomo.
The provincial youth leader said Government must also empower youths in the province by giving them land and supporting their income generating project to improve the livelihoods of people in the province.
He said empowering the youths would translate into empowering the entire province as most families would be having reliable sources of income, which would cushion them from food shortages in the event of low rains.
“Youth in our province have a number of challenges, challenges which if solved will see the province’s economy greatly improve. Our economy is lagging behind.
“Most of our youths here did not benefit from the land reform programme, while some have a number of projects that lack funding. The province also needs to benefit from the national cake. If these youths are empowered and their projects are financed they will be able to take care of their families,” he said.
Cde Nkomo said youths in the province and other parts of the country had not benefited from Government empowerment projects because of some corrupt officials who monopolised empowerment projects for their benefit.
Government has so far managed to secure a consignment of maize from Zambia which is expected to go a long way in alleviating the food shortages in areas that have been affected by drought.
The drought situation in Matabeleland South province has put more than 350 000 cattle in province at risk of starvation.
A number of intervention measures have been proposed to save livestock in the area whose inadequate grazing land has greatly depleted.
Government has urged farmers in the province to unlock value in their cattle by selling part of their herd to avoid serious losses as a result of the drought.
The farmers have also been urged to come up with feedlots as yet another measure to mitigate the effects of shortages of pastures owing to erratic rains.
Online Reporter