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Tendai Mugabe in GUTU
Government is importing grain to ensure everyone has enough food until the next harvest following two years of drought as a result of climate change. This was said by President Mnangagwa while addressing thousands of Zanu PF supporters in Gutu yesterday.
President Mnangagwa assured the nation that no one will starve.
The rally was attended by several Politburo members and senior Zanu PF members from Masvingo province.
President Mnangagwa said some Government projects underway were going to be slowed down as resources would be channelled towards grain importation.
He said Government was importing maize from countries such as South Africa, Tanzania and Mexico.
President Mnangagwa said Government had exhausted its Strategic Grain Reserve filled by maize from the Command Agriculture following two consecutive years of drought.
In his address, President Mnangagwa said every Zimbabwean would get enough food regardless of their political affiliation.
“We said as Government we can stop all other projects and import food for our people,” he said.
“It is important to have a well-fed citizenry for us to develop our country. People can only work towards the development of their country if they are healthy and well nourished.”
He said the first consignment of 41 000 tonnes from Mexico had arrived and the second lot would arrive in Maputo soon.
President Mnangagwa said every week the number of families requiring food assistance was increasing but Government was addressing that by importing more food.
This season, President Mnangagwa said, those who planted late in Mashonaland provinces were assured of good harvests but Government was planning for a national drought.
He said there were clear structures for food distribution that will ensure that everyone is catered for.
“There are three structures where we live and there is no family that can say it has been skipped by all the three structures,” said President Mnangagwa.
“We have chiefs and they have headmen and village heads. There is nowhere you can live and say I don’t have a chief or a headman or a village head. All these traditional leaders can know that this family in their area is in need of food.
“In our party, Zanu PF, we have structures from province to district, branch and village committee. The village committee can see that there are people in their areas that require food and we also have Government structures in the local government from the province up to ward level.”
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) yesterday indicated that since the beginning of the year it had transported 22 500 tonnes of maize out of 64 000 tonnes imported by the Government from Mozambique and South Africa to cover the grain deficit.
NRZ also transported 24 000 tonnes of maize from Tanzania between September last year and February this year.
In a statement yesterday, NRZ public relations manager Mr Nyasha Maravanyika said 8 300 tonnes of maize had arrived in Bulawayo while the remaining 6 700 tonnes is set to arrive in the city soon.
He said this year, NRZ was aiming to transport a total of 47 000 tonnes from Mozambique (Maputo and Beira) and South Africa.
Mr Maravanyika said the deliveries were not only for the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) but also being National Foods factories in both Bulawayo and Harare.
“In Maputo, there is a consignment of 15 000 tonnes that needs to be transported. The consignment arrived there on February 7 this year. We have so far managed to carry 8 300 tonnes that are now in the city. We have already started transporting the remaining maize. Right now, we have 45 wagons that are already on their way to Bulawayo with part of the remaining 6 700 tonnes of maize,” said Mr Maravanyika.
He said from 27 000 tonnes of maize which arrived in Beira, NRZ was contracted to ferry 10 000 tonnes to Harare.
Mr Maravanyika said 6 000 tonnes had already been transported to Harare while the remaining 4 000 tonnes would be transported soon.
Online Reporter