Ayesha Nyanzunda
Government Ensures Adequate Resources for Families Affected by El Niño-Induced Drought
The government has assured that sufficient resources are in place to support families impacted by the El Niño-induced drought.
During a post-cabinet briefing in Harare yesterday, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Professor Mthuli Ncube stated, “There are two streams of resources that the government has under control. One source is the budget allocation for this year. Additionally, we recently received a payment equivalent to 32 million US dollars from sovereign insurance, which will fund both grain and cash distributions.”
Professor Ncube added that the government plans to extend the insurance program to ensure that future drought relief initiatives cover all districts, or at least 90% of them. Currently, only 27 districts are benefiting from these resources.
Meanwhile, Minister of Publicity, Information, and Broadcasting Services Dr. Jenfan Muswere announced that more than 63 tonnes of grain have been distributed to vulnerable and food-insecure individuals under the first phase of the Food Mitigation Strategy, which began in May and will conclude in July.
“Accordingly, modalities for the second phase, from August to October 2024, are being worked out. These include the grain movement plan, the urban cash distribution plan, and the mobilisation of additional financial resources for three months of distribution,” Dr. Muswere said.
An estimated 6 million people are projected to be food insecure in Zimbabwe during the 2024–2025 lean season due to the current El Niño-induced drought, which has severely impacted food and nutrition security.
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