Government well prepared to avert hunger among vulnerable citizens

Harare (New Ziana) – The government is putting in place measures to ensure that no person dies of starvation due to the cyclone El-Nino-induced drought, an official has said.

Ruling Zanu PF secretary for information and publicity Christopher Mutsvangwa said this during a press briefing at the party headquarters on Monday.

He said revenue from other sectors that do not depend on agriculture such as mining will also be channelled towards procuring food to avert hunger.

“President Emmerson Mnangagwa recently declared the drought a state of disaster because the majority that relied on rain agriculture will all have a total write-off of their crops. We were hit hard in our food-producing provinces,” he said.

“But as His Excellency said, no one should panic as the government has set aside US$2 billion to ensure that everyone is catered for,” he said.

Mutsvangwa said unlike previously when food aid was focused at the household level, this time it is focused on an individual level to leave no one behind, adding the ruling party will support the government in superintending over the food relief program.

“We are a well-structured party with very strong structures at provincial, district, and ward levels. This gives us a vast advantage in ensuring that food aid reaches the neediest.

“I would like to warn government departments that any negative bureaucracies noted by party persons superintending the food relief programs will not be taken lightly,” he said.

Mutsvangwa dispelled notions that food could be distributed according to party affiliation and said Zanu PF was not susceptible to petty politics, adding that the winter wheat season was approaching and was being taken seriously.

“Winter wheat cropping, which is under irrigation, gives us a chance to ensure that we get high yields. This will help us avert the vagaries of rain-fed agriculture because wheat, which has a higher value than the maize crop, can be used to trade for our staple when we get yields.

“All this is being done under the watchful eye of the President to ensure that the nation is well-fed during this difficult time,” he said.

On the recently introduced Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) currency, Mutsvangwa said it should be fully embraced as it was one of the first steps towards having a mono-currency system.

He said people had a ‘fetish’ for the US dollar but any sovereign nation should always strive to have its own currency which it is proud of.

New Ziana