Government this week announced a marginal 3 percent increase in support following the prevailing food and nutrition insecurity among rural livelihoods after cabinet approved the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (ZIMVAC) 2020 Rural Livelihoods Assessment report tabled by Industry and commerce minister.
Addressing a post cabinet media briefing on Tuesday, Information minister, Monica Mutsvangwa said the measures adopted by government are in view of the need to cushion livelihoods following natural phenomena such as droughts and cyclones.
“Cabinet noted that despite the natural disasters experienced by the country such as droughts, cyclone Idai and covid-19, government has put in place an active response to the prevailing food and nutrition insecurity among rural livelihoods, with its support increasing to 76 percent in 2020, up from 73 percent in 2019,” she said.
Minister Mutsvangwa added that the support would be targeting mainly vulnerable groups, through the provision of food and cash transfers while also removing restrictions on food importation, including the removal of duty on basics such as wheat, maize and cooking oil.
The minister reiterated the fact that government remains the main source of food aid and crop inputs to the populace contributing a total of 48 percent in that regard, while development partners have more than doubled their support to 33 percent up from 11 percent.
As such, “Government has put in place food subsidies through continued implementation of social protection measures to improve food access, and employment creation through the employment of the vulnerable communities by engaging able bodied drought relief participants under the Capital Development Projects,” minister Mutsvangwa added.
The minister said, going forward, the rural livelihoods report will be used as a guideline towards policy formulation and implementation in as far as dealing with food security and nutrition issues is concerned.
