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She also said some non-governmental organisations were already working with the needy communities in the provision of food.
“The grain loan scheme has been there but it is not all areas that have critical food shortages. Tsholotsho for instance is a unique district that is closer to a desert. As a result a lot of people there especially the San community in Mgodimasili area are in urgent need of food aid.
“We also have non-governmental organisations that are already assisting some of the needy people. We encourage those who are able-bodied to concentrate on increasing production on the fields in order to
improve food security,” she said.
Tsholotsho District Administrator Mr Kelvin Mayoyo said they had started registering needy families in consultation with traditional leaders.
“We are registering the households in consultation with the traditional leadership and we expect the distribution to start soon,” he said.
The Provincial Administrator for Masvingo, Mr Felix Chikovo, said more than 18 700 tonnes of maize was needed to feed about 93 000 households in the province.
He said the province was working on modalities of distributing the grain to deserving families.
“As soon as modalities of the distribution are worked out, food will be delivered to the targeted households. This should be done as soon as possible,” he said.
Mr Chikovo said the programme was earmarked to commence in December and end in March this year but there was a delay.
Midlands Governor Jason Machaya recently reported that most people in the province were on the brink of starvation.
He said his office was inundated with villagers seeking assistance on how to access food under the grain loan scheme and announced that the registration of beneficiaries had started.
The grain loan scheme is expected to benefit 600 000 households countrywide in grain deficit areas for the next four months.
The beneficiaries are required to complete registration forms, which are obtained from the GMB depots.
Only able-bodied communal farmers would benefit from the scheme, where each family would get 50kg per month, which will be paid back after harvesting their crops this year.
The Government would spend $1,5 million in the first months and $639 000 in the three subsequent months bringing the total cost of the programme to $3,5 million.
The grain loan scheme brings to two the Government programmes aimed at alleviating food shortages among Zimbabweans with the other being the food for work or public works programme.
The scheme runs parallel with the Ministry of Labour and Social Service’s programme of feeding vulnerable households that include the elderly, chronically ill persons, children and people living with disabilities.
This group of people would be issued with grain vouchers, which they use to redeem 50kg of grain at GMB village distribution points every month.
Online Reporter