Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare, Mercy Dinha, says the delivery of food aid to Zimbabweans has been delayed due to a lack of funding.
Speaking during a question and answer session in Parliament, Dinha said the grain distribution programme, which was scheduled to start much earlier, is currently on hold pending the release of funds.
“This grain distribution program should have started a long time ago, but we have been waiting for funding from the treasury to transport the grain to the silos closest to the people,” she said.
“We have been allocated ZWL$3.7 billion to ensure that we cover registration as well as transportation of grains. In terms of transportation, we have not received all the funds, and by the time we receive all the funds, the process will go smoothly.
“From the number allocated to us, we received about 8 billion Zimbabwe dollars in February, and yesterday we received 3.5 billion Zimbabwe dollars. We have not received all the money and that is the reason for this delay.”
Humanitarian agencies say at least four million Zimbabweans, including city dwellers, may need food aid due to the looming crisis. Drought caused by the El Niño phenomenon.
A long drought has wilted crops, but the government has said no Zimbabwean will die of hunger, although critics have questioned, especially after the government announced this week after a post-Cabinet meeting that 9% of Zimbabwe’s 2.7 million hungry people would receive food. Their food. The aid queue has been receiving food since January.
“The grains are there, the only problem is transportation to take them to the nearest Grain Marketing Authority warehouses so that people can get the grains near their doorstep,” Dinha added. Newsday
