HARARE – More than 6.2 million rural Zimbabweans require food aid between now and April next year, as the country battles the worst drought in over 40 years, the government has said.
In a post-cabinet media briefing on Tuesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Jenfan Muswere said the 6.2 million people in need of food aid in the countryside are a top priority for the government.
“Taking into consideration the rural population requirements to March 2025, and the school feeding programme to April 2025, the maximum amount of grain required is 465,000 metric tonnes.
“The current stocks in the Strategic Grain Reserve, comprising wheat, maize and traditional grains are at 264,246 metric tonnes excluding 32,314 metric tonnes imported by the Government of Zimbabwe to date.
“The 200,000 metric tonnes shortfall will be met by the winter wheat harvest surplus on the national annual requirement estimated at 240 000 metric tonnes,” he told journalists.
Muswere said the government will accelerate depot-to-depot grain movement for the current period of August to October 2024.
“The Grain Marketing Board is now operating 50 Agro-shops, supported by 12 hammer mills mostly in rural areas and peri-urban depots as part of the government price stabilisation thrust, and to enhance product availability, accessibility and affordability.
“The commodities sold at these Agro-shops include mealie-meal, sugar, rice, salt, flour, soap and cooking oil. Silo Foods’ complementary products include coffee, bran, dried kapenta, flour, grits, maize-meal, salt, silo samp and traditional mealie-meal,” he said.
He said the private sector is expected to import all stock-feed requirements to March 2025 of 400,000 metric tonnes and urban maize requirements of up to 450,000 metric tonnes.
The post Over 6.2 million rural Zimbabweans are starving, says government appeared first on Zimbabwe News Now.