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ACUTE food shortages have hit Hwange District in Matabeleland North amid indications that 80 percent of the population is in need of urgent food aid. Hwange District Administrator Tapera Mugoriya yesterday told Chronicle that the Government had put in place mechanisms to assist the needy families and avert starvation.
“There are indications that most parts of the district are in dire need of food aid. The district is always facing acute food shortages during this time of the year,” said Mugoriya.
He added: “The Government through the Grain Marketing Board is distributing maize to the district and this is an ongoing programme to avert hunger.”
Mugoriya concurred with the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Zim-VAC) report that 80 percent of the people in Hwange were starving.
Local chiefs have complained that the maize from GMB was not enough and the supply was not consistent. There are reports that villagers in Jambezi, Chisuma and Monde under Chief Shana and Mvutu respectively were now being forced to buy maize meal from neighbouring Zambia where a 15kg bag of maize is sold for $25. A majority of villagers cannot afford that price.
“We are getting little maize from GMB and the people are starving,” Chief Mvutu said.
The United Nations food agency, World Food Programme has reported that about 2, 2 million people need food aid in Zimbabwe.
Recently the country has imported about 150 000 tonnes of maize from Zambia to ensure no one starves.
Online Reporter