No starvation as government undertakes drought relief

Coming from Masvingo province in general and Chiredzi district in particular makes one appreciate the importance of the government's intervention on drought relief. People have been suffering in that part of the country for a long time as the last rain season brought nothing to cheer about. People are now surviving on one meal per day making their survival strategies difficult and lose hope on what the future has in store for them.

As such the government's initiative to come in with the assistance of drought relief in all the districts which are facing food shortages in the country is a timely intervention which needs some patriotic Zimbabweans to embrace it. Food shortages is a threat to people's survival, hence, the government's intervention to alleviate starvation among Zimbabweans through such an initiative has come at the right time since the agricultural season is drawing near. If people are not adequately fed they would not be able to do farming business well thereby creating another unfavourable harvest next season.

From a crop assessment results carried out recently, Masvingo province has been described as the hardest hit by drought as more than one hundred and thirty thousand tonnes of maize is needed for the province to be sustained up to the next harvest. Actually it is not some people in Masvingo province who are facing food shortages alone but almost the whole country is in the same predicament with the exception of Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West which have some surpluses. Reports from the crop assessment results show that Mashonaland Central has a surplus of seventy six thousands tonnes while Mashonaland West come in with fifty four thousand tonnes making the two provinces better placed to help the government in fighting the scourge of hunger in the country.

So the  government's initiative to come up with the drought relief program which is set to be undertaken in all provinces in need of food assistance in the country is a welcome move that would make food available to everyone in the country. Zimbabwe has experienced erratic rain fall in the last agricultural season with most of the districts failing to get good harvests that could sustain them. In most districts in the country, there was nothing which farmers got from their fields thereby complicating food security in the country. For that reason Zimbabweans are now waiting for the government to import more maize from neighbouring countries like Zambia and others which had some good harvests during their last farming seasons.

Now that the government has started food distribution around the country as a way of alleviating some food shortages, people should welcome this move as a bold decision by government which is reeling under western-imposed economic sanctions.  It is also good that the drought relief program has coincided with the distribution of inputs under the Presidential Inputs Scheme which has been in existence for a long time now. The distribution of the inputs through the Presidential Inputs Scheme has also come at the right time since the agricultural season is drawing near. As such people should welcome and appreciate the efforts that are being done by the government as a way of making sure that the food security in the country is maintained.

The distribution of the agricultural inputs as well as the drought relief program should be well monitored so that such programs are not tainted by corruption which has become a cancer in the country. Those involved in the distribution of the drought relief to the needy should be monitored so that they do not divert such food handouts to the wrong destinations. Corruption should not be entertained and those found to be on the wrong side of the law should be fired and capable people brought in to replace such mischievous and untrustworthy individuals.

Officials from the Ministries of Agriculture, Mechanization and Irrigation Development as well as from the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare assisted by Provincial Affairs Ministers have been chosen by the government to spearhead the operations of both programs. As such all those involved should make sure that those two programs are fully undertaken as to make sure that people are not shortchanged by them.

It should be made clear that public servants who are involved in undertaking these two programs should not taint the image of the government by going against the will of the government. They should make sure that both the agricultural inputs and the drought relief programs are undertaken without favour so that all the beneficiaries become satisfied with what they would have been given.
The government should also see that drought relief program is there to assist those in need not for individuals to use it for their personal gains. It should be made clear that food handouts are for all the people who are facing food shortages. So everyone should not starve when the government has clearly come up with such a good program for everyone. Officials from the ministries involved should make sure that both programs, the Presidential inputs Scheme and the drought relief programs become successful so that the efforts put in place by the government become fruitful.

People should also appreciate that the Presidential Inputs Scheme which has come at the right time as the farming season is drawing near should not be abused by greed people. Actually people should welcome this Presidential Inputs Scheme as a timely boost for the farmers who have no cash. Some of them have been finding it difficult to buy some inputs as they are owed thousands of dollars by the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) as it is failing to raise funds to repay the communal farmers who delivered their produce to it and the Presidential Inputs Scheme is going to ease pressure being endured by the farmers.

So the Presidential Inputs Scheme could not have come at a better time as the farmers are preparing for the coming farming season. As such the people should make sure that some agricultural inputs from this program are put in good use so that the country can stop continuous importation of grain from other countries. Proper distribution and utilization of the Presidential Inputs Scheme would also make those who have been donating their funds to the scheme to keep on doing so as they would realize that their efforts are being put in good use.