VILLAGERS have bemoaned the sharp increase in the price of mealie-meal saying the basic commodity is now beyond many who survive on subsistence farming.
Traditionally, a 20-litre bucket (approximately about 9kg) of maize cost US$3, but with the drought, a 10kg bag of mealie meal is now costing US$5,50 at Grain Marketing Board (GMB) depots across the country.
In Hurungwe, villagers have to walk several kilometres to Mudzimu GMB depot just to buy the mealie meal.
“We used to buy a bucket of maize for US$3, which would last us for a week. Now, with prices almost doubling, we cannot afford to feed our families. The situation is dire and we don’t know how we will survive if this continues,” a villager Jane Matenga said.
Chief Mudzimu said the government should come up with a mechanism to deal with future droughts.
“The government must act swiftly to provide food aid and subsidise mealie-meal prices for rural communities. We also need support to implement irrigation systems and other measures that can help us cope with future droughts,” he said.
Information minister Jenfan Muswere on Tuesday said thousands of rural households were in urgent need for maize after the Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee undertook a Rural Livelihoods Assessment from May 3 to June 7, 2024.
The objectives of the assessment were to estimate the rural population that is likely to be food insecure in the 2024/25 consumption year, their geographic distribution and the severity of their food insecurity.
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The assessment was also aimed at determining the nutrition status of the rural population and to identify development priorities for communities.
The findings and recommendations of the report are based on a comprehensive review and analysis of the relevant primary and secondary data collected from 18 001 households and the country’s 60 districts.
A total of 60 chiefs together with their headmen and other traditional leaders were consulted.
“The 2024 Rural Livelihoods Assessment established that the total cereal requirements from the national strategic grain reserve for the period July 2024 to March 2025 would be 448 350 metric tonnes, broken down as follows: 45 750 metric tonnes per month for July to September 2024; and 51 850 metric tonnes per month for October 2024 to March 2025,” Muswere announced at a post Cabinet briefing on Tuesday.
“The food insecure people will receive 7,5kg/person/month for the period July to September 2024, and 8,5kg/person/month from October 2024 to March 2025.”
“The report noted that 121 482,6 metric tonnes will be required for the school feeding programme from July 2024 to April 2025. Government will avail the requisite quantities for the school feeding programme and will prioritise payment of BEAM [Basic Education Assistance Module].”
