Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
Vice President Inonge Wina
Republican Vice President Inonge Wina has directed the Food Reserve Agency (FRA) to handle the on-going maize sales with caution in view of the dry spell experienced in the country.
And the Vice President has assured the nation that government is fully aware of the prevailing situation with regards the dry spell in the country.
Addressing a media briefing in Lusaka this morning, Ms Wina says there is need for the FRA to ensure that at no time should the strategic reserves for maize be diminished.
Ms Wina says to this effect, she chaired an emergency meeting yesterday for selected government Ministries to discuss the implications of the situation at hand and the measures undertaken in the short to medium term while awaiting the results from the in-depth assessment.
She says an in-depth assessment is being undertaken in forty eight districts in order to assess the impact of dry spells experienced during the 2014 – 2015 rainfall season on food security.
Ms Wina adds that as an interim measure, whilst awaiting the results of the 2015 in-depth assessment, 50 metric tonnes of food assistance has been provided to each of the severely affected districts of Western and Southern Provinces.
The Vice President further directed all District Disaster Management Committees to continue monitoring the situation in their respective districts in relation to food security.