adminThe meeting was meant to review the food situation in the country. It came after Government allowed the private sector to continue importing cereals.
Minister Made said they discussed Government’s decision to move grain from areas of surplus to areas of deficit.
“Soon, we will have information on how much grain the WFP is going to contribute,” he said. “The month of September to November will be the most critical in terms of food requirements. We have agreed to give priority to WFP in relation to grain procurement from Zambia.”
Minster Made and Mr Darboe also discussed livestock feeding programmes in drought-prone areas.
Minister Made said the visit by the WFP representative was significant considering that Sadc climate experts were in the country to come up with a forecast for 2012/3 season. He said the outcome from climate experts was going to assist responsible authorities in planning for the next season.
Mr Darboe said WFP had a long standing relationship with Zimbabwe.
He said WFP would continue to respond to Zimbabwe’s food needs.
“The other purpose of my visit was to underscore the partnership between WFP and Zimbabwe and see how we can strengthen those ties,” said Mr Darboe. “We have discussed the performance of the agriculture sector and links to food availability.”
Mr Darboe said the forecast from Sadc climate experts would be useful in planning for the future.
“We currently have floods in Asia and droughts in the US because of climate change. So, input from the Sadc climate experts is important because the better we know
the more we are prepared in terms of food security.”
The Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee estimates that over 1,6 million people will need food aid between January and March 2013.
Online Reporter