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villagers failing to raise money to buy food.
The facility – which will be split into two categories – is expected to benefit 164 000 families.
One category will cater for the elderly, the sick, orphans and other disadvantaged groups, while the other category will cover food for work.
In an interview during a drought assessment tour in Bu-hera yesterday, Labour and Social Services Minister Paurina Mpariwa said Government was concerned with the welfare of its citizens in drought-prone areas.
To this end, it had embarked on an assessment tour to find ways of assisting communities.
“One-hundred and sixty-four thousand (164 000) families are set to benefit from this exercise. We agreed in Cabinet this week that public works programmes should begin in all drought-affected areas countrywide,” said Minister Mpa-riwa.
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She said families or individuals on a food for work programme will be getting US$20 for 15 days’ work.
“Elderly, sick and orphans will be getting that for free after being given food vouchers which they will be presenting to GMB depots. The depots will also be located close to people’s homes to reduce the burden and strain of travelling long to get food.
“My ministry has capacity as we have provincial and district officers, but the only constraint is transport for social services officers to visit the said areas,” she said.
Government, Minister Mpariwa said, was also looking at reviving abandoned irrigation schemes saying they have potential to create jobs and food for communities.
“We are touring Manicaland to see the irrigation schemes, hear their challenges and see how we can assist them contribute to this noble goal. The scheme is spreading in all parts of the country,” said Minister Mpariwa, who is touring the area along with her deputy Dr Tracy Mutinhiri.
They are also expected to visit irrigation schemes and Grain Marketing depots.
Farmers at Deure and Bonda irrigation schemes complained that the Zimbabwe National Water Authority was hampering their activities by charging high tariffs which now amount to more than US$94000.
Meanwhile, a proliferation of cheap maize sourced mainly from Gokwe has reportedly flooded the black market in various parts of the drought-hit Masvingo province.
This has left several GMB satellites depots in areas such as Mwenezi, Chivi and Chiredzi reportedly stuck with thousands of tonnes of maize as cash-strapped villagers are reportedly turning to the black market for cheap maize.
However, traditional leaders in the province are now appealing to government to reduce the price of a 50kg bag of maize from the current US$16 per 50 kg bag to about US$10.
Investigations by The Herald has revealed that those involved in the importation of the cheap grain from Gokwe and selling it to hunger-stricken areas were making a killing.
Villagers prefer to buy the cheap staple food on the side market.
While GMB is selling a 50kg bag of maize at US$16 the some traders are reportedly selling the cheap maize from Gokwe for anything between US$4 and US$6 per 20 litre bucket an amount, which is affordable for most villagers.
GMB Masvingo provincial manager Mr Tavonga Makuvara, last week told the Masvingo Provincial Development council that the province had been flooded by cheap maize.
Mr Makuvara said villagers were now shunning the GMB maize for the cheap grain on the black market.
“The province has been flooded by cheap maize that is being imported from Gokwe by some traders who are now supplying the grain to villagers in hunger- stricken areas.
“The cheap maize has become very popular with villagers due to its affordability and packaging because the traders are selling their maize in 20 litre buckets while at GMB we are selling in 50 kg bags that villagers find very expensive,” said Mr Makuvara.
He added that some GMB depots in Chivi, Mwenezi and Chiredzi people were totally ignoring the GMB maize in favour of cheap maize sold on the black market.
The Government’s decision to remove controls on the movement of maize grain, Mr Makuvara said, had made it easier for maize black market traders.
He said the traders moved their grain from areas such as Gokwe where a 20 litre bucket of maize is reportedly selling for as little as US$2 to areas such as Masvingo which is battling severe food shortages.
Masvingo provincial administrator Mr Felex Chikovo said chiefs had appealed to government to intervene and slash further the price of GMB maize to make it affordable.
Masvingo is facing severe food shortages after over 75 percent of last season’s staple maize crop was written off following a prolonged dry spell.
Online Reporter