Zimbabwe President Mnangagwa orders govt to prioritise food amid fear of famine
Harare, Zimbabwe (PANA) - Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed his government to focus on food security amid the heightened possibility of the country facing famine.
Speaking at this year’s first post cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa told reporters that Mnangagwa instructed government focus on food security as an immediate priority.
“While noting the progress of the second republic, particularly, the Transitional Stabilisation Programme (economic blueprint), the President noted the challenges the people have greatly endured. He then laid out the business of 2020 based on set principles. He stated that the year of productivity, economic growth and employment creation would be the most important things,” she said.
“The President reiterated that as cabinet our immediate priority must be to guarantee food security and directed that all efforts be focused on that front to make sure that everybody gets food.”
According to Mutsvangwa, the president further directed all ministers, accounting officers and senior officers to spend more time with communities in the countryside implementing and monitoring key government programmes that yield a better quality of life for all citizens.
"Greater impetus must be placed on arresting inflation and consolidating the mono currency regime,” she said.
Zimbabwe's maize supplies are “critically low” as a result of the poor 2019 harvest and limited ability for imports.
The poor 2018/19 season, as a result of drought, negatively affected maize harvests and left the country highly volatile to hunger.
Currently, government is working on importing food from Tanzania and South Africa at a time it is broke.
-0- PANA TZ/AR 4Feb2020
