Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
WITH schools having opened for the third term, the Emergency School Feeding Programme is being rolled out under the food aid distribution programme.
Cabinet on Tuesday received and noted the Report on the Food Deficit Mitigation Strategy, Urban Cash Transfer Programme and Movement of Grain, as presented by the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, July Moyo.
In a post-Cabinet briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said the second phase of the blitz grain distribution has now gained momentum as food insecure people continue to receive their 3-months’ supply of grain.
“To date, a total of 31 889.85 metric tonnes of grain has been distributed and schools have commenced collection of supplies for the
Emergency School Feeding Programme. A total of 139 854.94 metric tonnes of grain is expected to be distributed during the months August to October 2024,” he said.
Regarding the Urban-Cash-for-Cereal Programme, he said beneficiary registration as well as data cleaning and validation is underway across all the urban domains.
Dr Muswere sais NetOne has been contracted to pay urban beneficiaries under the programme and payments are expected to commence by end of this week.
The Food Deficit Mitigation Strategy, Urban Cash Transfer Programme was a response to the El Niño-Niño-induced drought that left the people vulnerable. The country received inadequate rains for the 2023/2024 season and farmers across the country watched their crops wilt due to extended dry periods.
To address the situation, the Government put in place a cocktail of measures including availing food aid to both urban and rural areas to feed at least 7.7 million people in the wake of the devastating drought.
This comes after President Mnangagwa in April declared the 2023/2024 agricultural season a State of National Disaster following the El Nino-induced subdued rainfall pattern which resulted in food deficit in many areas leaving most families in need of food aid.
