Paul Nyathi|A World Food Programme (WFP), official has assured President Emmerson Mnangagwa that his organisation with help from the Chinese government, has escalated efforts to provide emergency food aid to feed thousands of starving Zimbabweans due to the effects of the poor rain season last year.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Government of China recently signed agreements to provide emergency food assistance to Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe to respond to food insecurity.
The agreements were signed by high-level management of WFP and China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA).
Under the framework of the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund, China’s support will enable WFP to procure food including rice, maize, pulses, fortified cereals, vegetable oil for more than 477,000 of the most vulnerable people in these three countries, mainly women and children.
Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe face serious food insecurity challenges especially due to climate-related disasters such as droughts and floods.
WFP executive director Mr David Beasley told Mnangagwa that the United Nations (UN) food relief agency was mobilising resources to feed affected people, particularly those in rural areas.
Mr Beasley said this on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly on Tuesday when he made a courtesy call on President Mnangagwa.
“Zimbabwe cannot only feed itself but it can feed the whole world. It is a great nation and has many opportunities. We will be put together major financial operations to help people throughout Zimbabwe to make sure we have food security with smallholder farmers and help those that have been impacted by the drought. We look forward to a lot of good things happening to Zimbabwe,” said Mr Beasley.
The meeting was also attended by Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube and his Foreign Affairs and International Trade counterpart Dr Sibusiso Moyo.
According to its estimate, over US$331 million is required to feed more than 5,7 million people countrywide between now and April next year.
Mr Beasley has always affirmed WFP’s support on Zimbabwe saying they would do all they could to help Harare.
President Mnangagwa has since declared the El-Nino induced drought as a national disaster so as to activate local and international agencies to mobilise resources.
Concerns have however always been raised over President Mnangagwa’s ZANU PF party partisan distribution of such food aid when it reaches the country.
The ZANU PF systems on the ground hijack the food and use it as campaigning material distributing it only to those perceived to be loyal to the party.