Zimbabwe Vice-President Mujuru Launches Food Security Policy

Republic of Zimbabwe Vice President Joice Mujuru. Zimbabwe is building relations with other African, Asian and Latin American states to offset the impact of Western sanctions., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

VP Mujuru launches food security policy

Friday, 17 May 2013 00:00
Herald Reporters

GOVERNMENT has launched a food and nutrition security policy to address challenges brought by recurrent droughts experienced in the country.

The food and nutrition security policy is also accompanied by an implementation plan, which highlights strategic objectives, key actions, outputs,outcomes and time frames.

Speaking at the official launch of the document in Harare yesterday, Vice President Joice Mujuru, who is also the chairperson of the National Food and Nutrition task force, said the policy, whose origins date back to the 1993 drought, would guide the nation’s response to the country’s food and nutrition challenges in both good and bad seasons.

“This policy commits Government to the implementation of a sustainable programme to address the food and nutrition security situation of the country,” VP Mujuru said.

Through the policy, Government has committed itself to ensure formulation of policies that protect and enhance food and nutrition security among others. Key sectors which have a bearing on these commitments are agriculture, health, education, social services, local government, transport, energy, environment and natural resources.

VP Mujuru said to ensure effective policy implementation, Government has put in place a structure comprising a high level national task force of ministers and permanent secretaries.

She said implementation would be done through food and nutrition security committees in village.

“The policy is a comprehensive document, providing a framework for the implementation of co-ordinated and multi-sectoral interventions to address the challenges of food and nutrition insecurity,” she said.

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister Joseph Made, who is also the deputy chairperson of the task force, said the challenge of food insecurity was beyond the capacity of a single sector.

“We should strengthen collaboration of several sectors to ensure food and nutrition security.

“As a member of the African Union we are committed to allocating 10 percent of the budgetary resources to agriculture and ensure food security and industrial development,” he said.

Minister Made said the ministry was committed to ensuring small-holder farmers have access to irrigation services, affordable inputs, knowledge on markets and good infrastructure.

Health and Child Welfare Deputy Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said his ministry is in support of the policy.

Dr Mombeshora said addressing nutrition would contribute towards achievement of the millennium development goals.

Bankers Association of Zimbabwe vice president Mr Sam Malaba said bankers had a key role to play in the achievement of the policy goals.

He acknowledged the role of the agriculture sector to revive the economy but said the sector has been facing challenges in providing adequate and appropriate funding for farmers.

“Our facilities have provided seasonal funding for cropping and livestock programmes due to the pre-dominant short term tenure of deposits in the banking sector.

Of the total deposits in the banking sector today, about US$3,8 billion in total are short term transitory deposits that flow in and out of the banking sector,” he said.