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Zambia, Zim partner on food security issues

Zambia, Zim partner on food security issues
By Fridah Zinyama and Namatama Mundia
Thu 11 Feb. 2010, 04:00 CAT

ZAMBIA and Zimbabwe have entered a partnership that will see the two countries co-operating on food security issues. And the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) has offloaded 100 metric tonnes of maize in Southern Province to mitigate the hunger situation in some parts of that province.

This followed a four-day meeting between the Grain Marketing Board and Zambia's Food Reserve Agency to discuss wide-ranging issues concerning national food security.

According to the Herald Newspaper of Zimbabwe, chairperson for Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe Tafadzwa Musarara, who attended the meetings, on Monday said local stakeholders had seen it necessary to approach regional food security bodies and find ways of boosting Zimbabwe's grain reserves.

Food Reserve Agency of Zambia chief executive Dr Antony Mwanaumo said his organisation was seeking new areas of co-operation with greater emphasis on food security. The two organisations will co-operate on silo rehabilitation and silo management, and training on grain trading among others.

GMB has been involved in rehabilitating Zambia's silos. The Zambian delegation expressed optimism on the growing level of co-operation between the two organisations.

In 2008, Zimbabwe had a maize deficit of 600 000 tonnes and imported part of the needed grain from Zambia.

And Choma district commissioner Laiven Apuleni confirmed in an interview on Tuesday that his office requested FRA to offload maize to the vulnerable people and schools whose food security had been affected by the bad rainfall pattern in areas bordering the Gwembe Valley.

“FRA has responded to our calls because people don't have food, they will only start harvesting the little remaining in their fields after March,” Apuleni said. “The selling of maize has started and it will go up to the end of February.”

He said a 50-kilogramme of maize was selling at K70, 000.
“Those who need to buy maize will have to get clearance from my office,” he said.

Apuleni said areas that were badly hit by hunger include Sinazongwe, Choma while places around the plateau had not been affected.
Meanwhile, Apuleni said the rehabilitations of the Choma-Chitongo road had commenced.

He said the rehabilitation works which were suspended last year because the contractor, China Geo Construction had gone on industrial break commenced last week and were expected to be completed in August this year.

Apuleni said the construction of the Choma District Hospital would be completed by June next year.
“They (contractors) are doing the foundation of the hospital now and the hospital will have all the major departments,” he said.

He also said two bridges-Ngonga and Munyeke which had been completed were now being used and that had cheered the people in the district.

Labels: FOOD, FRA, GRAIN MARKETING BOARD, HUNGER, ZAMBIA, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 5:50 PM