No cause for alarm over food situation, says gov
By Bilham Kimati
28th October 2009
Officials in 67 districts to ensure relief reach people
Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives Minister Stephen Wassira
The government said yesterday that although the food situation in 67 districts in the country was still critical, there was no cause for alarm because emergency supplies were being dispatched to the affected areas.
Speaking exclusively to ‘The Guardian' in Dodoma yesterday, Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives Minister Stephen Wassira said additional efforts had been made to ensure food relief reached the people currently facing serious shortage.
"We (government) deployed officials from the prime minister's office, ministry of agriculture and other relevant offices to join their counterparts in the districts for assessment of the situation on the ground," the minister said.
He added: "All areas that need immediate attention have been reached and as I speak now 20,000 tonnes of grain have been transported to those places."
Commenting on the immediate demand for grain, Wassira said 56,000 tonnes of grain have been set aside for delivery to make sure that people in places with acute shortage were reached as soon as possible.
"The shipment is continuous to make sure that the food is taken to the people as the government embarks on long term solutions to the problem of food which includes expansion of the area cultivated under irrigation schemes," he explained.
Due to prolonged drought residents in 67 districts, nearly half the total number of districts in the country recorded very poor harvest and in some places there was virtually no harvest, the minister said.
The majority of the districts facing serious food shortage are in Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara, Tanga, Dodoma Lindi, Mtwara and Singida regions among others where delivery is a matter of urgency.
Residents in some of these places are said to survive on wild fruits and berries while the extreme conditions in others have forced systematic deaths to livestock making life difficult among herders.
In a separate interview, Singida Regional Commissioner Parseko Kone said some parts in the region would face more food shortages in December this year. He mentioned the wards as Manyoni East and Iramba North.
However, Kone said the other wards have adequate food to last until the next harvest beginning March next year, referring to a research conducted in July and August this year to identify areas that would be in need of food assistance.
Arusha Regional Administrative Secretary Nuru Milao said the situation in Arusha was still bad as all the districts are facing food shortages.
The Longido District Executive Director, Christiani Laizer said the government has sent 939 tonnes of relief food.
In June this year, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives, Mathayo David told parliament that 61 districts were at risk of facing food shortage in 2009/10, according to the food evaluation survey conducted between May and June this year.
He said the government was set to buy 165,000 tonnes of food including 160,000 tonnes of maize and 5,000 tonnes of sorghum. From February to July this year, the government has already distributed relief food to almost 780,000 people in several areas
Mathayo said the country produced a total of 5,265,309 tonnes of cereals in the 2008/9 season against the required consumption of 6,578,508 tonnes in 2009/10.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
0 Comments | Be the first to comment
The ostrich that has buried its head in the sand.
Jasusi