Grain swap answers Muzarabani food needs

Fungai Lupande

Mash Central Bureau

VILLAGERS in Muzarabani and other districts in the low lying valley areas in Mashonaland Central previously risked crocodile attacks or downing while maintaining maize fields along rivers, and this sort of cultivation led to siltation of rivers.

Traditional grains do grow in the area, but people while eating them also wanted maize, and now the Government has introduced a swap scheme where a household can swap up to 1 tonne of traditional grain for the same mass of maize.

Chief Muzarabani said traditional leaders have the responsibility of alleviating hunger in their jurisdictions through the Zunde raMambo programme.

“No matter how vibrant our Zunde raMambo programme was, as long as we only produced sorghum, our people, mainly children under the age of five, suffered from malnutrition,” he said.

“The community needs a diversified diet and continuous consumption of sorghum is not good. This is what forced people to river banks to produce maize as an alternative to sorghum.”

Chief Muzarabani welcomed the grain swap programme, saying no small-scale farmer can produce a tonne of maize in Muzarabani. He appealed for more Grain Marketing Board depots in Muzarabani to ensure efficiency of the programme.

“It is not easy for small-scale farmers to reach GMB depots and they are still swapping among themselves.

“Transport is the major challenge and we are gathering our grains at a central location so that the GMB can come and collect,” said Chief Muzarabani.

Recently, Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Deputy Minister, Vangelis Haritatos, launched the grain swap programme in Muzarabani.

He said the programme will mitigate food shortages in areas that have low rains.

“A farmer will bring the produce that he or she has in excess and exchange it with a produce of their choice,” the Deputy Minister said.

Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Mashonaland Central province, Christopher Magomo, commended the programme saying farmers can now produce grains supported by their region and then swap with grains they want.

“This programme will encourage farmers to continue growing traditional grains without fear of missing out on the staple food,” he said.

“Climate-proofing agriculture is one of the Government’s strategies of attaining food and nutrition security.”