Friday, March 29, 2024

Government starts relief food distribution in Eastern Province

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EASTERN Province Permanent Secretary, Chanda Kasolo, gives his address during the National Day of Prayer, Fasting and Reconciliation held at David Kaunda Stadium in Chipata.
EASTERN Province Permanent Secretary, Chanda Kasolo, gives his address during the National Day of Prayer, Fasting and Reconciliation held at David Kaunda Stadium in Chipata.

Government has started the distribution of relief maize to hunger stricken areas in some parts of the Eastern Province under the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU).

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Permanent Secretary, Chanda Kasolo, said government has been very proactive in the distribution of relief maize this year in all the districts.

Mr. Kasolo named the districts that benefitted from the programme as Lundazi, Nyimba, Mambwe, Vubwi, Petauke, Katete and Sinda.

The PS however noted that the relief budget is restricted, thereby making it impossible for management to meet the target.

Mr. Kasolo appealed to people in the affected districts not to worry as more stocks are coming for the province, saying, the province has no problem in distributing the maize.

He however said the challenge is that people expect DMMU to distribute maize even to the people that are not faced with hunger.

The Permanent secretary further said the unit is not there to feed the whole nation but those in disaster situations such as droughts, floods and human/animal conflicts.

The PS noted that the region is expected to receive enough rain for the 2016/17 farming season, adding that there will be less need for relief maize.

He has however bemoaned the smuggling of maize to other countries by some citizens saying many people in the country need the same maize and that government is also trying to reserve maize to enhance food security.

4 COMMENTS

  1. So, manna is not falling from the skies, ka? Maybe those poor peoples prayers fell on deaf ears. Or the Zambian god must be spoken to with loud speakers. Fact is this is a wake call that prayer is useless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. Last week there was a report on how people in Eastern province have been smuggling maize into Malawi because the floor price was good. After exhausting their produce, Govt is distributing free relief food at the expense of some tax payer? Wonders shall never end!

  3. “Government has started the distribution of relief maize to hunger stricken areas in some parts of the Eastern Province…”

    Which “parts of the Eastern Province” is he talking about? The part in Malawi that Lungu and his PF used to rig the election? Is this how PF is paying off Malawians for stealing the votes?

  4. Woow! Are there enough bags of Rats and Caterpillars for the 3 million people living in Eastern province then? Lungu needs to lift the ban on the importation of Rats from South Africa otherwise there will be massive starvation when the rain starts in earnest!! Rupiah and Sons have already been given Caterpillar import permits without going through tender – but Don’t cry foul yet!
    Malawi can supply enough of the much needed rats that provide nutrition to the Impis for the next 6 months to March 2017 when the next harvest season starts!!

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