Maravi

(HERALD) Govt forms committee to assess food situation

Govt forms committee to assess food situation
Friday, 16 March 2012 00:00
Agriculture Reporter

Government has resuscitated the food emergency committee to immediately assess the food situation and requirements countrywide. Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made will chair the committee. Other committee members are Local Government, Urban and Rural Development Minister Ignatius Chombo, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Paurina Mpariwa and Energy and Power Development Minister Elton Mangoma.

Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Nicholas Goche, Finance Minister Tendai Biti and Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Minister Tapiwa Mashakada are also part of the committee.

Minister Made said the inter-ministerial committee was formed after a realisation by Cabinet that there is a looming drought until next year.

The bulk of the maize crop that was planted during the 2011/12 summer cropping season has been declared a write-off.

This means that an anticipated short-term intervention in terms of grain loan scheme would have to be spread over 12 months.

“The committee is to establish the number of people requiring assistance, quantity of locally produced grain and total national requirement to close the gap between the available grain and shortage.

The committee would put in place an urgent programme to meet any shortfall in local production, identify areas of supply and deficit and come up with the types of distribution of grain and mode of repayment.

The committee would look at grain loan schemes as well as vulnerable households and come up with a comprehensive budget.

The grain loan scheme, which was relating to grain production, will also have to include cash purchases.

The scheme will no longer cater only for those who anticipated poor harvests but would include even those without food.

Minister Made said farmers in the southern region could use proceeds from their livestock to buy grain from the Grain Marketing Board.

On the grain loan scheme, Minister Made said Cabinet had concluded that its performance had been very poor.

“The GMB has been giving out inadequate grain far below the demand. With immediate effect anyone approaching the GMB requiring a grain loan especially in the communal areas has to be considered,” he said.

Minister Made said the movement of provincial managers had assisted in curbing the practice.

“As Minister of Agriculture, I would like to warn GMB employees to concentrate on matters relating to effective serving of the people in relation to the situation of food.

“Managers should provide good services to consumers otherwise we part ways,” he said.
The GMB recently dismissed four employees for defrauding the company while all provincial managers were transferred to curb rampant corruption at the parastatal.

Labels: HUNGER, JOSEPH MADE

posted by MrK @ 5:53 PM