Jane Mlambo| Despite spending US$3 billion funding the command agriculture scheme, Zimbabwe is currently facing serious maize shortages and is having to rely on imports a move that exposes how funds were siphoned out of government by corrupt cartels involving mogul Kudakwashe Tagwirei and his Sakunda Holdings.
According to the state owned weekly, government is set to import 110 000 tonnes of maize per month.
Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said Treasury had already budgeted to import enough grain to feed the country.
Last year, the Tendai Biti led Public Accounts Committee unearthed how through the Command Agriculture, US$3 billion was looted from government by corrupt cartels.
“The national target for grain requirements stands at 110 000 metric tonnes a month. That is the figure that will ensure that no one goes hungry,” said Prof Ncube.
“As Treasury, we have already availed part of the funds and the grain is coming as we speak, and more will be coming. I am not sure of the actual modalities, but we have availed the funds and we will continue to release more funds as per the requirements to ensure that the country has enough food to feed everyone’s needs.”
Government, he added, was committed to maintaining the Strategic Grain Reserve, which had recently been depleted to about 100 000 tonnes from the recommended threshold of 500 000 tonnes.
“While we are importing, we also want to make sure that we maintain what is required in the Strategic Grain Reserve.”
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said Government was pulling out all the stops to ensure that the country remained food secure.
“Government is putting all efforts to ensure that no one goes hungry. The President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) has been on record as saying that no one should go hungry on account of the drought, and that is the programme that Cabinet is implementing.
“Every week in Cabinet we are going to have an assessment of the food situation to see where the food needs to go and make sure that all the modalities are in place for the food to be distributed where it is needed, and be distributed in time,” she said.
Last week, Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ), which represents the country’s biggest millers, said its members were targeting to import 80 000 tonnes of grain per month for milling.