Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected]
MATABELELAND North will on Friday launch the provincial food distribution programme targeting over half a million food-insecure persons while each chief in the province will be allocated five tonnes of grain per each ward under their jurisdiction.
There are 167 wards in Matabeleland North.
The launch will be held at the Nyamandlovu Grain Marketing Board (GMB), marking the start of the distribution programme to each of the seven districts in the province, with the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Richard Moyo revealing that 520 524 persons will be targeted, representing over 65 percent of the population in need of food aid after most families realized poor to no harvest at all as a result of the El Nino weather phenomenon.
According to the 2022 census results, Matabeleland North has a population of 749 017 of which 360 776 are males and 388 241 are females. The province has 160 912 households.
Speaking at a press conference held at his Mhlahlandlela Government Complex offices yesterday, Minister Moyo, who was accompanied by his permanent secretary Ms Sithandiwe Ncube and the provincial social welfare officer Mr Sicelo Nyathi, said all systems were ready for the launch tomorrow as were transport logistics for the actual distribution of the grain.
“The declaration of the national disaster of drought following the El Nino induced rainfall by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Government has taken measures to combat the effects of the El Nino drought. Government is embarking on a three-month phased distribution plan prioritizing the worst affected areas and the hard-to-reach. Matabeleland North was not sparred,” said Minister Moyo.
He said under this program each beneficiary will get a three-month allocation of grain at once, pegged at 7.5 kg per person per month translating to 22.5kg per person for three months so as to ensure the efficient use of Government resources which will ensure transport and administration costs are kept at a minimum.
Minister Moyo said grain will be moved from areas of surplus to deficit areas for three months to the respective GMB depots.
“The provincial requirement for grain for Matabeleland North for the period May to July 2024 7.5kgs a person is 3 904kgs while the grain requirement for the same period is 11,712 kgs. Over and above that each of our traditional leaders, that is the Chiefs will get five tonnes per each ward under their jurisdiction, this will go under Isiphala Senkosi,” said Minister Moyo.]
Giving a statistical breakdown of food insecure persons and the amount of grain needed per each district, Minister Moyo said in Binga 136 210 persons were insecure and 1 021.57 metric tonnes of grain is needed per month. Already 2 096 metric tonnes has been delivered at Lusulu and Tsholotsho GMB depots.
In Hwange 50 899 persons are food insecure with 381,7 metric tonnes of grain needed to feed them and Minister Moyo said Hwange GMB has 1 270 metric tonnes in stock.
“Lupane district has 68 210 persons who are food insecure, their monthly requirements is 511,57 metric tonnes while in Tsholotsho 69 283 are in need of food aid with 519,62 metric tonnes needed for their monthly requirement,” said Minister Moyo.
GMB Tsholotsho, he said, had 802 metric tonnes in stock.
In Bubi, 48 497 persons need food aid whose monthly allocation is 364 metric toones while in Umguza, the 82 004 food insecure persons will get a monthly allocation of 615 metric tonnes of grain.
As part of a raft of measures to ensure the smooth distribution of food aid, Government has already established a drought relief command centre, which brings together all relevant stakeholders to ensure there is order in the process which will be a fulfilment of President Mnangagwa’s instruction that “no one should die of hunger in this country.”
Government has also warned politicians and those in positions of power against interfering in the distribution exercise, with the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, July Moyo reiterating that the food distribution programme was apolitical.
Online Reporter