Dodma heeds Chakwera’s directive: Rolls out nationwide food distribution targeting 5.7 million
Government says it is targeting 5.6 million food insecure households during the 224/25 relief food distribution exercise which has been launched today, Wednesday in Neno.
In Neno alone, 13,869 households are food insecure following dry spells induced by the El Nino weather pattern in the last farming season.
Speaking during the launch, the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (Dodma) director Responsible for Disaster Recovery and Resilience, Peter Chimangeni, said the relief maize will cater for six months and called for partners to further assist the course.
A beneficiary, Saidi Nsanama, of Chaponda Vilage T/A Symon has thanked the government, saying the maize has come at the right time when they are eating wild tubers for survival.
Neno District Commissioner Rosemary Nawasha has asked the beneficiaries to use the maize for consumption rather than selling it.
Nawasha said they started distributing the maize earlier than planned due to the dire situation.
“We saw how families were struggling, so we acted quickly to provide assistance before October. Each food-insecure household will receive a 50kg bag of maize monthly for the next six months,” she said.
