2009-03-08 11:24:10
By Mbena Mwanatongoni
As the nation grips with the reality of dwindling food stocks after a lack of rain caused poor harvests, Manyoni District in Singida Region, which had by last month collected 185 tonnes of cereals from the National Food Reserve Agency, needs urgently 1,000 tonnes to save 99,000 people from starving.
Nine wards in the district - Makanda, Chikuyu, Mvumi, Kintinku, Sorya, Majiri, Sanza, Manyoni and Agondi - need the food relief as a matter of urgency, after falling victim to attacks of quelea quelea, which pushed production back to only 20 percent.
The crop destroying birds devastated 80 percent of the anticipated harvest.
Of the 185 tonnes the NFRA released to the district, a total of 176 tonnes were sold to peasants at 50/- per kilogramme, while nine tonnes were distributed to needy persons, including the elderly and disabled, free of charge.
The case of Manyoni district is similar to others reported by the ministry of agriculture, food security and cooperatives in the near past; the hunger threat is real, but district officials tried to downplay the seriousness of the situation this week.
``The food aid will serve until harvest season due in May or June, but I can assure you no one is dying of starvation,`` said a senior official from the district, who asked for anonymity because he is not the official spokesperson for the district.
While some pockets in the country are facing a food shortage, agriculture analysts believe the sitaution is not yet alarming, and the ministry says there are enough cereals in the reserves to last the entire nation for three months.
From Karatu, where a 20-kg pail of maize used to sell at 3,000/- or even less, reports this week indicate that the same amount now sells at 9,000/-. ``This is a serious development,`` an official speaking for the District Commissioner, Mathew Sedoyeka, told The Guardian on Sunday. The national market price of maize currently stands at between 390/- and 400/- per kilo.
Bariadi District Commissioner Baraka Konisaga said the food situation was an issue in his district but that he was already bogged down with another more serious problem: the killings of the elderly and albinos.
``As I am talking with you at this very moment, we are holding a meeting regarding the serious issue of the rampant killings of aged people suspected of witchcraft.
Let us discuss the food situation at a later time, please,`` Konisaga said. The food situation is similar in Musoma district, although figures were not immediately available.
Stocks ready and waiting
As of this week, there was a stockpile of 119,024 tonnes of maize and 6,650 tonnes of millet at the NFRA`s depots, apart from the thousands of tonnes of other traditional foodstuffs harvested in the 2007/08 season.
The food reserve agency put aside 7,182 tonnes of cereals for the disaster section of the Prime Minister`s Office, which has identified 240,544 people in 24 councils as in need of food aid.
But less than half of the amount has been collected by the councils so far, with only 3,088 tonnes so far distributed.
Already Same, Rombo, Kiteto, Bariadi, Bunda, Ukerewe, Lindi, Kilwa, Liwale, Nachingwea, Ruangwa, Kilindi, Manyoni and Iramba councils have collected their allocations from the NFRA depots at Shinyanga, Arusha, Dodoma and Dar es Salaam, but 10 councils have still not come for their food.
As of earlier this week, Arusha, Simanjiro, Kishapu, Musoma (Rural), Rorya, Kwimba, Magu, Misungwi, Tabora (Urban) and Nanyumbu councils had not shown up at the NFRA depots, even though they have been named as districts affected by food shortage.
Poor rains hurt production
Many districts, especially those in Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Manyara, Tanga, Lindi and Mtwara regions, depend heavily on short rains for the cultivation of food crops.
According to available information, all the districts of Lindi and Mtwara regions, as well as Lushoto, Mkinga, Korogwe and Kilindi in Tanga region and Simanjiro, Babati, Hanang, Mbulu and Kiteto in Manyara region count on such rains for food production.
Arusha, Longido and Monbduli districts in Arusha region, as well as Same, Mwanga and Rombo districts in Kilimanjaro also depend on these rains.
``Food production during the short rains contributes about 20 percent to the total food basket in the country.
Due to unfavourable short rains production, this will go down by 5 percent,`` Richard Kasuga, a spokesperson for the agriculture ministry, told The Guardian on Sunday this week.
``We are still monitoring the situation. Our current food stocks will still do,`` Kasuga said. ``Food importation is encouraged by private businessmen, and the government is alert and getting realigned to handle even the most difficult food situation.``
Although Kasuga would not explain the state of availability of foodstuffs in the so-called food surplus areas of Rukwa, Iringa, Ruvuma and Mbeya, he said: ``These were not among regions reported to have food shortages, and even the food allocations already done do not cover any of the districts in these regions.``
Kasuga would not comment either on the amount of non-cereals, like beans and other legumes, in the country.
On strategies being taken to bring food supplies to communities that live nomadic lives, who are often hardest hit whenever there is food shortage, the official said: ``The food allocations are meant for all families which were identified during the assessment that they would have food shortages, and this includes the nomads.``
Unreliable rain is a common reason for Tanzania to experience periodic food shortages, and the government says ongoing efforts are geared toward increasing production to ensure surpluses during good years that can be stocked for use during bad years.
Last year, for instance, even though the climate was not conducive, production reached 10.87 million tonnes, more than the 10.33 million tonnes demanded, Kasuga said.
``We are promoting good farming practices - the use of fertilisers, better seeds, prevention of pests and diseases. Other efforts include promoting post-harvest management services such as farmers to have good storage facilities, and prevention of post harvest crop damages,`` the ministry said in a statement.
``Other efforts going on are expanding the area under cultivation by encouraging use of agricultural machinery (such as tractors, power tillers, ox-ploughs, etc) for mechanising agriculture.
We are also investing in the construction of irrigation infrastructures to expand the area under irrigation and to reduce the risk of depending on rainfed agriculture.``
The National Food Reserve Agency has expanded its storage capacity of food for emergencies during years of crop failures to 250,000 tonnes, about 100,000 more that its predecessor, the National Grain Reserve.
The NFRA food stock of 125,673 tonnes is augmented by another stock of 149,199 tonnes of cereals from major businessmen, who are stocking 38,603 tonnes of maize, 1,637 tonnes of rice, 107,870 tonnes on wheat and 1,090 tonnes of millet.
Though the ministry has assured that the threat of starvation is low, the government nonetheless advises people to exercise care with the available food.
``Likewise, farmers are advised to plant crops of quick maturity to contain a possibility of poor harvest in case of an early unexpected end to current rains,`` Kasuga said.
Meanwhile, food blending and use of foods other than cereals is seen as an alternative positive means of averting any possible hunger threat.
The ministry says the blending of maize with cassava, or cassava with millet, increases food security.
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