Minister accuses Renamo of hindering food supply to Zambezia

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Minister accuses Renamo of hindering food supply to Zambezia

2:05 CAT | 13 May 2016

DW (File photo)

Hundreds of people are starving after several months without rain in the central Mozambican province of Zambezia. The agriculture minister is pointing the finger at Renamo but members of the public claim the government is not offering as much support as it should.

At least 2,400 people are starving in Zambezia province, according to Mozambican Institute for Disaster Management. Food aid has to be brought in from other provinces, and in both rural areas and in the city of Quelimane, the locals complain that products such as flour, sugar and vegetables are much more expensive. A kilogram of tomatoes, for example, sells for 150 meticais (EUR2.5, at current exchange rates), triple the price six months ago.

Minister of Agriculture and Food Security José Pacheco is holding Mozambique largest opposition party Renamo responsible for the lack of food in Zambezia, with the political and military instability in the province hindering supply.

“We join with the voices condemning the violence by Renamo. We call for disarmament and alignment with the Constitution of the Republic of Mozambique so that our farmers can make our country a reliable source of food in the quality and quantity we all want,” Pacheco said during a visit to the province last week.

Blaming the government

But the population believes that the government is the main culprit. The lack of rain since January has led to the loss of crops vital for the support of families, especially rice and corn, and of other vegetables too.

“There is hunger in Quelimane,” a member of the public told DW Africa. “The population is suffering a lot. We do not believe that all this is linked to armed clashes between Renamo and Frelimo,” said another resident, adding that people were calling for more government support and greater supervision of prices.

Source: Deutsche Welle

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jpconrad

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Probably if the millions (what is a billion but a million with a “b”!) that were squirrelled away had been allocated to the necessary infrastructure then probably the rationale of the minister may have been receivable. Unfortunately most large investors in the sector were convinced by the quality of the soil and climatic conditions but much less so by the overall investment proposal. What probably put them off was the state of the roads, the destroyed bridges, and the cost of the logistical chain. Without this there is no purpose in investing heavily in the agricultural sector; fertiliser will only… Read more »