adminFrom Noah Pito in Hurungwe
Hurungwe District needs at least 1 000 tonnes of maize to feed villagers from Ward 17 in the three months through to May this year, before they harvest.
In an interview this week, Hurungwe district administrator Ms Makepeace Muzenda said the list also included villagers whose grain reserves had run out.
The district’s food security situation, she said, could only be ascertained after a full assessment was done in May.
“The number of people who need food aid in the district is not only from the vulnerable groups who have been on our list, but includes those whose grain reserves have been exhausted,” said Ms Muzenda.
“We will be able to take a position in terms of the state of food sufficiency in the area as the season progresses.”
Ms Muzenda said the district’s Vulnerability Assessment Committee will carry out the assessments in May to determine the level of food security.
“At the moment, we need 1 181,5 tonnes to cater for those who applied for food assistance,” she said. “Remember, during the dry spell some crops, which were considered to be a complete write-off recovered very well.”
Ms Muzenda said areas under Chief Mujinga in Chivende and Mashuma-Sengwe under Chief Nyamhunga had been severely affected by the dry spell.
“Some of the crops have recovered and brought hope to the villagers,” she said. “There are some beneficiaries of the Presidential Input Support Scheme, especially the vulnerable, who planted with the early rains.
“Some of them completely lost their crops during the dry spell, but those who had the privilege to buy seed and replant are now expecting good harvests.”
Ms Muzenda said some tobacco farmers in the district had their crops damaged by hailstorms.
“However, despite all these challenges, the level of tobacco yield this year is fairly good although it is lower than that for the last season,” she said.
“The same is also true for our maize output this year.”
Online Reporter