Maravi

(ZIMPAPERS) Chiefs urged to help ensure food security

Chiefs urged to help ensure food security
Thursday, 20 October 2011 00:00
Agriculture Reporter

CHIEFS and traditional leadership should play a leading role in ensuring household food security in their communities, a Cabinet Minister has said. Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made made the call at the Seed Co launch of Zunde RaMambo programme in Stapleford yesterday.

He said it was the duty of chiefs to ensure members in their communities were fed and that the community always had a reserve to help the less privileged. "Chiefs always remember that it is incumbent upon you to ensure that all residents within your areas of jurisdiction are well provided for in terms of food security," he said.

He applauded Seed Co for the initiative given the multiple challenges faced by rural communities. Minister Made said the situation has been made worse by the HIV and Aids pandemic, which has had a toll on the productive generations, and has left a trail of child-headed households, which cannot fend for themselves.

"Thus our traditional leaders are inundated by the unprecedented demand for food within the communities they preside over and this initiative proffers capacity to the traditional leadership institutions to salvage the situation."

President of the Chiefs' Council, Chief Fortune Charumbira, said it was important that chiefs encouraged seed houses to give farmers seed on credit and ensure national food security. He said it was disheartening to note that seed houses were stocked with seed yet farmers did not have cash to buy.

"The situation could improve if farmers are given seed on credit and pay later. This can be done through chiefs who will distribute to their farmers and chances of absconding will be limited," he said.

Chief Charumbira attacked some corrupt Agritex officers who divert inputs intended for vulnerable members of the communities for their own use.

"Agritex officers should not screen the beneficiaries alone but should be assisted by the Chiefs who know the real people who deserve assistance," said Chief Charumbira.

"It is bad that the intended beneficiaries end up not getting any assistance while Agritex officers and other Government officials benefit."

Seed Co donated 100kgs of maize seed to an individual chief while chiefs in some areas will also get soyabean seed.

Seed Co managing director Mr Dennis Zaranyika said his company was willing to assist vulnerable members of the society trough the Zunde RaMambo programme.

He urged chiefs to put the seed to good use and work with extension officers to attain high yields.

Labels: CHIEFS, FOOD, HUNGER, JOSEPH MADE, SEEDCO

posted by MrK @ 2:13 PM