via The food security issue – The Zimbabwean 16 July 2015
Last week I attended the Food Expo, organised and hosted by Tafadzwa Musarara, the chairman of the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ).
I listened to both professionals and politicians giving their views on the status quo. If anything, it is clear that we are failing to utilise both our land and water resources to feed the nation, despite us having both the skills and the knowledge to do so.
The root cause of our food crisis is really the so-called Fast Track Land Resettlement Programme, which destroyed both lives and resources. As a result our country is in a precarious position with regard to feeding its people.
In the country analysis in the Food Nutrition Working Group report, Zimbabwe is set to require about 1.5 million metric tonnes of cereals (maize, sorghum, pearl and finger millet) for human consumption, and estimates production of about 808,829 metric tonnes in 2015. Maize production in 2015 is estimated at 742,225 metric tonnes, 49% deficit from the 2014 production of 1.4 million metric tonnes. Government plans to import 700,000 metric tonnes of white maize at a cost of $168 million. Based on these estimates, the country is expecting a 649,000 tonne cereal deficit during the 2015/16 consumption year.
We are told that we are now importing both maize and mealie meal from Zambia. Apparently Zambia can supply us with 700,000 tonnes of maize but our dilapidated infrastructure cannot handle this. So we can only bring in 40,000 tonnes a month and there will be a 300,000 tonne shortfall. Now 40,000 tonnes is 1 000 30 tonne trucks that have to go up and down to Zambia because NRZ does not have the capacity. Imagine the damage to our roads and the mere cost of doing this. We also do not have a solution of where we can get the shortfall since Zimbabwe does not allow GMO maize which could be sourced from South Africa.
Of course there is a lot of money to be made and I suspect that government ministers are certainly involved in these transactions. That has always been the case, the Zanu (PF) predator cabal profits from the crisis they create. Where the money to purchase all this maize is coming from remains a mystery because of the clandestine nature of how this government operates.
Too politicised
We also have an additional problem of course with regard to distribution of food and this adds to the food insecurity. A national surplus or the availability of food at national level does not necessary ensure household food security, these are two different issues.
Our household food security has been too politicised in the past as food is distributed on a partisan basis meaning that availability of food at national level does not guarantee food security for many Zimbabweans out there.
The fact of the matter is that food security is really about income and access to food and until we create jobs we will continue to have this problem.
What amazed me at the conference was the rather nonchalant attitude of the minister of agriculture and his deputy. These guys have really done a terrible job and have never admitted responsibility for the crisis we are suffering. They all continue to blame the private business sector and sanctions. The issue of food security should be a national priority. Non-delivery costs lives. It is shameful.
This is always the case when a government is not accountable to its people and faces no consequences for non-delivery. The recent cabinet reshuffle is a fuss that is not based on competence to deliver but on loyalty. Changing ministers like merry-go-round is costly and unnecessary. We got problems.
Sad reality
The sad reality is that Zambia has effectively taken our model and is using it to now feed us. Firstly they intervene in the market with regard to price; that is a critical issue as it makes it profitable for people to produce with certainty that they will make profit. Second, they provide inputs to small scale farmers and these farmers pay 50% for their inputs. They are not given these for free and on a partisan basis as we do.
We in Zimbabwe therefore need policy consistency and the de-politicisation of the agriculture sector if we are to achieve food security. That is obvious.
Our agriculture sector will never reach its full potential until our politicians stay out of it and we also stop the land invasions and resolve the historical conflict.
Yes small-scale framers can indeed produce our food as they did in the past and as they are doing in Zambia. But without access to credit, better planning and the de-politicisation of the sector, we will continue to incur huge food import costs and remain food insecure.
That is the legacy of a Zanu (PF) government that has created problems in every sector of the economy while denying responsibility. I have no respect for this government at all and we have an opportunity to dismiss them in 2018.
We must therefore do all we can to unite for change. – Vince Musewe is an economist and author based in Harare. You may contact him on vtmusewe@gmail.com
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